Missing Child

[ELVIS68]

I`ve just seen on the news, Maddies family are on their way to church to pray for her, I`m sorry but if that was my child I`d be out searching day and night

I`m not religious but even if I was I still don`t think I could sit in a church knowing my child is still missing, I smell a rat, anyone else agree?

[arlibop]

They could even have babysat in shifts.Half an hour to adults having fun is a short time but to a child waking up in a strange place alone it's a very long time.

[pussnboots]

There is no point now in asking why they left her alone, the damage has been done, and Im sure the parents will live with this action for the rest of their lives. I know that a parent or family member has abducted/murdered their children before, but I just cant see it in this case.

[Pippa68]

I agree, arlibop. Which is why I would never have thought about going out and leaving them in the first place. It would have been safer, and much more relaxing, to have taken the children out to eat.

What was the point in checking them every half an hour? if I had even contemplated leaving them behind I would have been eating as I was running up and down the road every two seconds!

[joko]

how do you know they haven't been looking?

one hour or so out of the day is hardly a lot, and if they believe, it could be very important to them - if they didn't pray and the worst happened they would say it was because they didn't pray.

i agree with you though, sod the church, i would be out searching


but they are in a foreign country, not their local neighbourhood, so they may not have the foggiest idea of where there is to look, where the dodgy areas are etc.
and lets face it the girl is most likely to be being held indoors, not in some undergrowth - and they cant go hammering on the doors of every house that has a crying baby in it.

so they were out walking - with a pushchair!!
so what?
they do have other kids to look after too - what else can you do with a push chair but walk with it?
they may have been scanning the crowds, just wanted to get out of their hotel room - probably driving them mad, maybe taking the kids to a minder, who knows - but trying to imply walking along the road with a pram is ''behaving just like any other care-free holiday maker'' is ridiculous.
that is one image... you didn't see what they did before and after those shots were taken

do you expect them to do nothing but run around wild eyed and frantic, wailing ''my baby, my baby'' 24/7...?

the police may be hoping the kidnappers see the pics of the parents and kids and feel bad and return the girl.
the police do play these sorts of tactics.

there may well be something dodgy about this whole thing - who knows - but so far your ''evidence'' is tenuous to say the least

[pussnboots]

I should think that they will not be able to leave the area until there is some news about her whereabouts, I know I couldnt.

[PinkFizz]

As has been said before, hindsight is a wonderful thing and whatever the outcome the parents will blame themselves.

[laurence2]

People are jumping to conclusions.
Lets just hope that the little girl in question arrives back safe and sound first, i understand that people would turn to religion, i also understand that some of us would be looking 24/7 for the girl also, do i smell a rat, i don't believe i do, was they right to leave the children on there own, no they wasen't, the sad reality of all this is they are by no means the first and certainly won;t be the last to leave there children unaided, we all think from time to time that ''it won't happen to us'' i'm sure these parents thought this as well, its the Barstewards out there who snatch these children away that we should be addressing, i'm not religious but lets all pray for the safe return of the little girl

[B00]

I can't believe how callous some of you are being!

you smell rats? Give over! This couple have lost the most precious thing to them- their child. I sincerely hope none of you have to go through a similar situation. If praying helps even just a tiny bit, who are we to scoff at them?

They mistakenly believed their child would be safe enough with them checking up on her every half hour. Was it the wrong thing to do? Of course it was in hindsight- they are obviously hating themselves for it as we speak. Can we all say hand on hearts that we are the perfect parents 100%?

I let my two and half year old play out in my own back garden whilst I am inside the house (gate padlocked)- if she gets snatched/ abducted, would you all blame me for not actually being outside with her?

[badgerchops]

i agree alot with Boo apart from the 'in my back garden' comment. Whilst it is ok to let them play in a secure garden, albeit i realise this is without dangers, it is different to leaving them in the house alone.

Boo, would you leave three small children in your house alonewhilst you went out for dinner at your neighbours house as long as you kept returning every 30 mins? i doubt you would !!

[Pippa68]

I wouldn't blame you at all, BOO..your garden is different as it is part of your home and you would probably be checking your child far more often.

Although I realise that a child could be snatched in a matter of seconds or minutes, we are talking about a couple who left their children in an unfamiliar place, in a foreign country, in order to have an adult meal. I do apologise, but find this most odd.

I am sure the parents are beside themselves and as I said before hindsight is a wonderful thing. Something doesn't sit right, I agree with the others there...however as I also said I don't know what that something is!

My only hope is that Maddie is safe.

[Pippa68]

I meant to add that there is every point in asking why they left their children alone in the first place. The police have probably asked them the same thing.

[cascarelli]

I did wonder when I first heard this whether it was someone trying to teach them a lesson by taking the child? But it seems to have gone on too long for that now.

[smudge]

Just popped in to read the latest on the News thread about this poor little girl & her family.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question40 2481-5.html

Very, very tragic & still hoping she will be found safe & will one day be reunited with her parents & siblings.......

[Rubyrose]

There is something very odd about the whole situation!! And I know there is always a 'theory' when something like this happens but c'mon... praying for her? Jeeeez! I'd be f*cking searching as well! No way I'd be anywhere near a church unless I thought she was kidnapped by a priest!!

[Miss Inquiry]

Do we know if they were practising catholics before? They could go to church every Sunday, which would make them turning to God for help perfectly credible.

[Rubyrose]

(I just read the whole thread)

I know it is a complete tragedy for someone's child to go missing but c'mon!!! How could they leave their children on their own? And while I really do feel sorry for that little girl and I really do hope she is safe and returned home soon... I think the parents are f*cking inconsiderate morons! How stupid can someone be?

I think the last thing I would do is turn to God as I would be p*ssed that he let this happen in the first place! (I am not religious at all though)

Boo - I do think you leaving your daughter in the garden is a very different situaition as I am sure you check on her a lot more than you think and she is probably active and running in and out of the house.. but would you leave her and go and have a bath for hours on end? Knowing she was there alone?

I just can't believe how stupid people can be... I know it's horrible to say but I don't even know if I feel sorry for the parents... they were stupid enough to leave her.... It's Maddie I feel sorry for... Poor little girl!

I really do hope she is ok though. My heart goes out to her.

Xx

[ruthann58]

Rubyrose you said it all children are 24.7. 365days a year you don't leave them on their own let alone in a strange place , i think we all know what the outcome of this is going to be poor little mite this happened in Yarmouth about 20 years ago little girl was taken from a caravan camp while left alone at night later found dead and sexually assulated i knew one of the policemans wives what the baxxxxxxx did to her was horrendus

[unruliejulie]

There is no rat to smell, i agree with B00!

The Dad of Maddie is a consultant at my local hospital and my sons girlfriend Mum works under him there, there is NO rat to smell, they are normal parents and my heart goes out to them. Its ok to keep saying they shouldnt have left them, no, they shouldnt, but they did and now they are paying the hugest price possible. I dont think apportioning blame helps anyone. I pray to God that this girl is found safe very very soon and who knows what you might want to do in these circumstances, im not religious but they might be and if it helps them for one second to deal with this then fair play to them!

Can i just ask, what rat is everyone smelling exactly? Elvis, do you think the parents took there own kid? im confused.

[Lonnie]

I'm not religious, but if it gives them a modicom of comfort, good luck to them, they are also doing something, instead of just sitting doing nothing,