Maddie McCann: this bittersweet event that her brother and sister celebrated without her

For almost sixteen years, Kate and Gerry McCann have been looking for their little girl Maddie, who disappeared on May 3, 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal. But for their other children, life goes on somehow. As revealed by the British tabloid The Sun, the missing youngster’s little brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, celebrated this 1^er February their 18^e birthday. A bittersweet milestone for the twins, who were only 2 years old the last time they saw their big sister, who herself was about to celebrate her fourth birthday.

“Christmas and other festive events will never be the same with our incomplete familyMaddie’s parents recently confided on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page, but we continue to make the best of our situation without ever forgetting or giving up.”

Sean and Amelie protected from the media all their lives

At the request of their parents, Sean and Amelie grew up away from the spotlight and the media. Until their 18^e anniversary, the media were even prohibited from photographing them under penalty of criminal prosecution. The only photos of them that have never been published are those taken shortly after Maddie disappeared in Portugal and then after the McCanns returned to England in September 2007.

As a reminder, little Madeleine McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 in a hotel complex Ocean Club from Praia da Luz, Portugal. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining with friends at a tapas restaurant a hundred yards from their flat when their baby girl was snatched from her bed. To date, the case remains unsolved. The police are nevertheless interested in a serious suspect, Christian Bruecknerwho happened to be residing in the Algarve at the time of Maddie’s disappearance. The man, a repeat child criminal, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany.