Aged Image of Missing Girl Released

(May 1) - Two years after she disappeared during a family vacation, Madeleine McCann's parents on Friday released a computer-generated image showing what the little girl might look like now.

Madeleine, from Rothley in Leicestershire, central England, was almost 4 years old when she vanished in Portugal on May 3, 2007. She would be almost 6 today.

The new image shows a girl with dark blond, shoulder-length hair held back by a pink headband. Her face is a little thinner than the 3-year-old Madeleine's, but she still has the same distinctive green eyes with a mark on the right iris.

The new image will be used on posters to be distributed worldwide as Kate and Gerry McCann continue their search for their missing daughter. To raise awareness of the case, the couple did an interview with Oprah Winfrey. It will be broadcast on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' on Monday in the United States and Tuesday in the United Kingdom.

"Kate and Gerry feel it's important that as many people as possible see Madeleine as she now is, rather than the child of 3 seen in those early photographs," the couple’s spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, told British media.

"We are hoping that the new age-progressed image of Madeleine aged 6 will help people to see what she may look like today," he said.

Madeleine disappeared while vacationing with her family at a resort in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal. Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors, told police they left Madeleine and her younger brother and sister asleep in the family’s holiday apartment while they joined a large group of friends for dinner at a nearby restaurant. When they went to check on the children, the McCanns said, the twins were there but Madeleine was gone.

The McCanns immediately insisted Madeleine must have been kidnapped. Police initially thought the child must have woken up and wandered off, but later developed a more sinister theory. Robert Murat, a Briton who had a home near the resort, and later the McCanns themselves were publicly identified as suspects. No one was ever charged, and police later cleared both Murat and the McCanns before closing the case.

The McCanns say they believe Madeleine is still alive. They hope the new image will generate leads.

"We know that we are not alone in our efforts to find Madeleine, or in our desire to have Madeleine back home with us where she belongs," the couple said on their Web site, FindMadeleine.com.

"This is the child that somebody who is close to Madeleine may spot, rather than the child in those other photos, and Kate and Gerry are incredibly hopeful that this will lead to the phone call that finds Madeleine and brings her home," Mitchell said.