Police working on the search for missing British girl Madeleine McCann — who was abducted in Portugal in 2007 — are expected to receive a major funding boost for the long-running probe, according to a report.
The UK’s Metropolitan police, which has spent about $16 million on Operation Grange since 2011, are in line to get a little over $370,000 in new funding for the search, The Sun reported.
The Home Office is likely to approve a request for the funding, according to the outlet.
“This is excellent news. Maddie’s parents Kate and Gerry will be delighted. It gives fresh hope,” a source close to the case told the outlet.
Maddie vanished during a family vacation in the resort of Praia de Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region on May 3, 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday.
Her parents had left their three children sleeping in the apartment while they went to a nearby restaurant, returning regularly to check on Maddie and her siblings.
When her mom checked on them at 10 p.m., she was horrified to find the door and window to their bedroom wide open and the toddler nowhere to be found.
The initial team of 40 Met officers assigned to the case has dwindled to four detectives, The Sun reported.
“As long as there are unanswered questions I can see why there is a case,” former Met detective Peter Bleksley told the outlet.
“But, in this time of squeezed budgets, I can also see why eyebrows would be raised at further funding,” he said. “I understand the frustrations of families that have missing children who do not have the luxury of such ongoing funding.”
Though authorities initially suspected Gerry and Kate of killing their daughter and disposing the body, investigators later surmised that she was possibly kidnapped by German sex offender Christian Brückner.
The 45-year-old, who is serving a seven-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman at the same resort in September 2005, been formally identified as a suspect in the case.
Meanwhile, the Polish woman who became who became an internet sensation after claiming to be Maddie will appear on “Dr. Phil” on Monday night.
Julia Faustyna, 21, who is also known as Julia Wendell and Julia Wandelt, has claimed she first heard that she was Maddie from her grandmother, and has tried to prove her case by sharing physical similarities between herself and the missing girl — including a distinct brown smudge on each girl’s right iris.
Faustyna has submitted a DNA sample for forensic testing in the US to determine if she is the missing girl.
Her representative and private investigator Dr. Fia Johansson wrote on Instagram, where she posted a clip from the show, that “we’re not just looking for answers… We are looking for justice for Julia.
“Thank you to @drphil for having us. I’m looking forward to this young woman getting a platform to speak courageously and call out those who abused her. No matter what happens, Julia– and survivors of (sexual) violence, assault, and abuse– deserve Justice and to be heard!” she added.
A synopsis on the “Dr. Phil” website says Wendell “captured the attention of millions across the globe when she claimed she believes she may be the most famous missing child in the world, Madeleine McCann.
“Wendell claims she has the same famous dark mark on her eye as McCann and similar body markings. She also claims she can’t remember large chunks of her early childhood, isn’t sure of her age, and has never seen her birth certificate,” it says.
“In an exclusive interview, Wendell reveals what else she discovered that made her believe she is the girl who vanished in 2007 at 3 years old,” the description continues.
“However, Wendell’s parents in Poland insist she is their biological child and deny she was kidnapped. … Has McCann finally been found? Or, is this a cruel hoax?” it adds.
Gerry and Kate have agreed to take a DNA test to determine if they are related.
A facial recognition analysis conducted by Swiss AI company Ava-X has concluded that Faustyna is likely not Maddie.
“It’s practically impossible for the young Pole to be Maddie,” said Ava-X’s co-founder Christian Fehrlin, who noted that while childhood and adult photos of Faustyna matched, a comparison between photos of Madeleine and Faustyna did not.
