Madeleine’s parents named as suspects

updated 9:13 p.m. ET Sept. 7, 2007

PRAIA DA LUZ, Portugal - The British parents who have run an international campaign to find their missing toddler were declared suspects in the case Friday, their lawyer said, after traces of blood were found in their rental car.

Kate McCann was named a suspect in the morning when she went to a police station in southern Portugal for her second straight day of interrogation, lawyer Carlos Pinto Abreu said. Her husband, Gerry, who later spent more than seven hours at the same police station, was also declared a suspect, Pinto Abreu told reporters.

“They have not been charged, and the investigation continues,” he said without elaborating.

The girl’s aunt said police suggested Madeleine McCann might have been killed accidentally and offered the mother a plea deal if she confessed.

“They tried to get her to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer — ’If you say you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less,”’ Gerry McCann’s sister, Philomena, told ITV news.

Gerry McCann followed his wife into the police station surrounded by journalists and watched by dozens of onlookers.

A police spokesman, Olegario Sousa, confirmed to The Associated Press that police had named a new suspect, but would not say it was Mrs. McCann. He cited privacy laws in declining to comment further. He could not be reached for comment later on Gerry McCann.

The couple strenuously professed their innocence Friday.

The day’s developments marked a dramatic turn in a case that has pulled at the world’s heartstrings for months, ever since Mrs. McCann ran screaming from a hotel room saying her daughter had disappeared. The McCanns, both doctors from central England, said they were dining at the time in a hotel restaurant, but returned frequently to check on Madeleine and her twin 2-year-old siblings.

Since then, the McCanns have toured Europe with photos of Madeleine and the child’s stuffed animals and clothing, even meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Celebrities including J.K. Rowling and David Beckham made public appeals that helped the family raise more than $2 million.

The money, controlled by an independent auditor, is meant for charities that aid in missing children cases.

Sniffer dogs uncover blood evidence
Until Friday, suspicion had focused on a British man who lived near the hotel from which Madeleine disappeared and who was the only formal suspect. But police said new forensic tests done on evidence gathered months after the girl vanished found traces of blood in the couple’s car, according to Justine McGuinness, a spokeswoman for the family.

NBC News video Profiler analyzes case Sept. 7: TODAY show anchor Meredith Vieira speaks with criminal profiler Pat Brown about the case. Today show

The new evidence — including the traces of blood missed in earlier forensic tests — was uncovered by sniffer dogs brought from Britain.

McGuinness said the police allegations against Mrs. McCann didn’t add up, since the rental car had not been acquired until 25 days after Madeleine’s May 3 disappearance. Gerry McCann called the allegations against his wife “ludicrous.”

“We will fight this all the way, and we will not stop looking for Madeleine,” he wrote on the couple’s Web site on Friday.

MORE FROM EUROPE

Europe Section Front

Russia steps up Georgia pullout plans   Newsweek: Marketing of U.S. murder suspect Fewer 'sworn virgins' in Albania Greece plans to house immigrants Olmert: Don't arm Israel's enemies Europe Section Front   Add Europe headlines to your news reader: