Madeleine McCann: Police contact Australian authorities after girl’s remains

“It is terribly clear that the child died a violent death under bad circumstances… everything about this case is tragic”, Superintendent Des Bray said.

British police are refusing to rule out the possibility that the body – suspected to be of a young girl -could be the remains of Madeleine McCann, with Met police contacting Australian authorities.

The remains are believed to be those of a girl aged between two and four with fair hair who was killed in a different location at some time since the start of 2007, Australian police reportedly said.

However, Mr Stevens said there was “absolutely no evidence” the child was Madeleine.

The quilt’s border features a pattern of musical notes.

“Clearly somebody has gone to the effort of making that quilt for somebody that they care about and love”, he said.

“The child was originally in the suitcase and at some point, somebody has, we believe removed the child from the suitcase”, he said.

The discovery has led to speculation that the body could be that of Madeleine McCann, who was aged three when she went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia de Luz in the Algarve, Portugal, on 3rd May 2007.

However, Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens told a parliamentary estimates committee hearing: “There is absolutely no evidence at this point in time that the child is Madeleine McCann…to suggest something like that at this point in time would purely be speculating to get attention”.

But Bray said the investigation was proceeding on the basis that it was probably an Australian child.

Police have checked missing person records but have not yet been able to find a match and now believe the girl’s disappearance was not reported.

Described as being aged about 60, of Caucasian appearance, average height, lightly built, clean cut and neatly dressed, he was seen by a number of locals in the area and investigators are seeking to identify him and potentially exclude him from the inquiry.