Do you think the parents were involved?

[blaize]

I just don't get it. This bunch of people all left their children unattended. One of the women sees a man carrying a child wrapped in a blanket and does not even sound an alarm to go check on all the kids. Unbelieveable.

Perhaps this quote from today's Sunday Times (16/9/07) might serve to clarify the mindset of the McCann's & their friends while at the resort.

<source>

"The fact is that while I would never leave small children alone, I know dozens of people who routinely do, and I do not find them irresponsible, just tired.

There are so many of them that a whole service industry has built up around them: &#8220;family&#8221; hotels with a baby-listening service where someone *advertiser censored* an ear at the bedroom door every now and then while harassed parents try to grab the semblance of a date together in the dining room; holidays, like the McCanns&#8217;, with kids&#8217; clubs attached, where children are parked with what amounts to a stranger while parents try to sunbathe in peace for a couple of hours; skiing trips where the chalet comes complete with a random nanny; gyms with cr&#232;ches; restaurants with some weird bloke in a clown suit &#8220;entertaining&#8221; the children in another room; and so on."
<source>

In other words it's not as unusual as you might think to leave children unattended especially in what is considered to be a family safe environment.

 

[ny_]

No, having a nanny watching them or some other adult supervising them isn't the same as leaving them on their own. While there are no guarantees the adult has had a background check, an adult can at least look out for things like fires, accidental poisionings, etc. And if the activity center, etc. has the proper procedures for verifying that an adult who is picking up a child is the parent, then it's harder for an abductor to get to a child in a supervised activity center than it is for an abductor to get to a child who has been left alone with unlocked doors.

And there have been posts in other threads that the staff had warned them of burglaries. I can't confirm if this is true, but if it is, they really disregarded their chidlren's safety.

 

[CaliKid]

According to Portuguese news sources quoting Mrs. Fenn, a pair of vacationers and one of the resort managers, the accounts of burglaries is true.

 

[IrishMist]

Perhaps this quote from today's Sunday Times (16/9/07) might serve to clarify the mindset of the McCann's & their friends while at the resort.

<source>

"The fact is that while I would never leave small children alone, I know dozens of people who routinely do, and I do not find them irresponsible, just tired.

There are so many of them that a whole service industry has built up around them: “family” hotels with a baby-listening service where someone *advertiser censored* an ear at the bedroom door every now and then while harassed parents try to grab the semblance of a date together in the dining room; holidays, like the McCanns’, with kids’ clubs attached, where children are parked with what amounts to a stranger while parents try to sunbathe in peace for a couple of hours; skiing trips where the chalet comes complete with a random nanny; gyms with crèches; restaurants with some weird bloke in a clown suit “entertaining” the children in another room; and so on."
<source>

In other words it's not as unusual as you might think to leave children unattended especially in what is considered to be a family safe environment.

I keep thinking back to when we took the kids to Boscobel Beach in Jamaica. Once we were on the property, our mindset eased up. It's casual and comfortable, and the kids had tons of freedom to move about and do their own things. (Not just ours, but other kids, too) I can easily see how the McCanns, and the other parents in their group, relaxed and let their guard down. I'm not condoning it; and even they have admitted it was wrong, and are living with the guilt of their decision.

I'm just saying that I can understand how that happened.

 

[blaize]

No, having a nanny watching them or some other adult supervising them isn't the same as leaving them on their own. While there are no guarantees the adult has had a background check, an adult can at least look out for things like fires, accidental poisionings, etc. And if the activity center, etc. has the proper procedures for verifying that an adult who is picking up a child is the parent, then it's harder for an abductor to get to a child in a supervised activity center than it is for an abductor to get to a child who has been left alone with unlocked doors.

And there have been posts in other threads that the staff had warned them of burglaries. I can't confirm if this is true, but if it is, they really disregarded their chidlren's safety.

I posted that quote more to demonstrate a certain mindset that has built up around these family hotels. People who visit these resorts do tend to think that their children will be safe, even if left alone.

Is this what you're referring to about the burglaries?
<Source>
"They are also looking again at claims a pensioner disturbed an intruder in her apartment directly above the McCanns’ holiday flat just two weeks before Madeleine vanished."
And
"A Briton who owns a holiday flat in Praia da Luz’s Ocean Club complex, where Madeleine was snatched on May 3, suggested that burglars could be behind her disappearance. Ian Robertson, from Neyland in Pembrokeshire, south Wales, experienced a break-in at his apartment, which is just 100m from the McCanns’ flat and identical in layout, in February.
The patio doors and a lounge window were left open but police discovered no signs of forced entry, suggesting that the burglars may have had access to a key.
Mr Robertson later discovered that at least three other Ocean Club residents had also suffered burglaries, including two in ground-floor apartments like the one where the McCanns were staying."

As yet I haven't been able to find a report that says residents were warned.

 

[blaize]

I keep thinking back to when we took the kids to Boscobel Beach in Jamaica. Once we were on the property, our mindset eased up. It's casual and comfortable, and the kids had tons of freedom to move about and do their own things. (Not just ours, but other kids, too) I can easily see how the McCanns, and the other parents in their group, relaxed and let their guard down. I'm not condoning it; and even they have admitted it was wrong, and are living with the guilt of their decision.

I'm just saying that I can understand how that happened.

I don't think it was a good parenting decision either, but can see how they could've been lulled into a false sense of security.

 

[IrishMist]

I don't think it was a good parenting decision either, but can see how they could've been lulled into a false sense of security.

Excellent choice of words, Blaize.

 

[CaliKid]

The following link is from a Portuguese newspaper, and the English translation follows. It is an interview with a director from the resort who states the McCanns knew about the burglaries.

http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/331952-100796-0-Crecen-las-sospechas-contra-los-padres-Madeleine

The search for a new personality in the desperate search of the small British four-year-old is complicating even more the McCanns' situation.

The Technical Services Director of the Ocean Club resort, Silvia Batista, affirmed that the same night on which Madeleine disappeared, she in person offered child-minding services "because the hotel is responsible for its clients' children, but they rejected that". Madeleine was seen for the last time on the 3rd of May when she was sleeping next to her siblings in a rented room in a hotel in Praia da Luz, in the south of Portugal. The parents of the little girl are being questioned for having left her alone in that room in order to go to eat with some friends.

According to the director of the hotel, "every month registries of robberies in the area are kept, and we therefore advise the service of a child-minder", but even knowing this, Maddie's parents did not accept it. Batista confirmed in an interview with the website Globo.com that the hotel has been working from the start with the Police to find the little girl. The director added that the room used by the McCann family was closed the first two months, then was opened for 15 days, but was then closed once again. Also, the director of the resort pointed out that in the area there are "many inquisitive people, but they do not disrupt the routine of the place.

"We did not bear the blame for the disappearance of the little girl, it couldn't be said whose fault it was, but certainly not ours", assured the director and indicated that "the parents of the girl that night were very unconcerned", and there was no reason they should not have requested the service of a child-minder.

 

[IrishMist]

The following link is from a Portuguese newspaper, and the English translation follows. It is an interview with a director from the resort who states the McCanns knew about the burglaries.

http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/331952-100796-0-Crecen-las-sospechas-contra-los-padres-Madeleine

The search for a new personality in the desperate search of the small British four-year-old is complicating even more the McCanns' situation.

The Technical Services Director of the Ocean Club resort, Silvia Batista, affirmed that the same night on which Madeleine disappeared, she in person offered child-minding services "because the hotel is responsible for its clients' children, but they rejected that". Madeleine was seen for the last time on the 3rd of May when she was sleeping next to her siblings in a rented room in a hotel in Praia da Luz, in the south of Portugal. The parents of the little girl are being questioned for having left her alone in that room in order to go to eat with some friends.

According to the director of the hotel, "every month registries of robberies in the area are kept, and we therefore advise the service of a child-minder", but even knowing this, Maddie's parents did not accept it. Batista confirmed in an interview with the website Globo.com that the hotel has been working from the start with the Police to find the little girl. The director added that the room used by the McCann family was closed the first two months, then was opened for 15 days, but was then closed once again. Also, the director of the resort pointed out that in the area there are "many inquisitive people, but they do not disrupt the routine of the place.

"We did not bear the blame for the disappearance of the little girl, it couldn't be said whose fault it was, but certainly not ours", assured the director and indicated that "the parents of the girl that night were very unconcerned", and there was no reason they should not have requested the service of a child-minder.

I find it interesting that they are responsible for their clients children, but it's not their fault she's missing. But that's beside the point.

I think this is CYA.

I've read that the McCann's left the kids in the apartment every night they were there while they ate at the restaurant. The other people eating with them that night also left their child in their room.

Yet this spokesperson claims that on that particular night, she just happened to offer her babysitting services, and only to the McCanns? Now that I think about it, that's almost suspicious...

 

[blaize]

The following link is from a Portuguese newspaper, and the English translation follows. It is an interview with a director from the resort who states the McCanns knew about the burglaries.

http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/331952-100796-0-Crecen-las-sospechas-contra-los-padres-Madeleine

Great link CaliKid. I beg to differ in the interpretation a bit. According to the director of the hotel, "every month registries of robberies in the area are kept, and we therefore advise the service of a child-minder",

Notice the careful choice of words by the director. I read that as saying they offer child-minding services but not that they necessarily tell parents about robberies or break-ins.

I also find it odd that she mentions that she offered the services on the very night the child disappeared, why only that night?

 

[eleven]

I keep thinking back to when we took the kids to Boscobel Beach in Jamaica. Once we were on the property, our mindset eased up. It's casual and comfortable, and the kids had tons of freedom to move about and do their own things. (Not just ours, but other kids, too) I can easily see how the McCanns, and the other parents in their group, relaxed and let their guard down. I'm not condoning it; and even they have admitted it was wrong, and are living with the guilt of their decision.

I'm just saying that I can understand how that happened.

IrishMist: That was a nice post. Your post totally made me realize how easily letting your guard down can happen in that kind of relaxed and relatively jovial atmosphere, and that it isn't akin to being a bad parent. As humans, we make some decisions everyday that are primarily based on our immediate surroundings. It's easy for some (myself included) to say "I would never leave my children alone" but when I read your post, it just sort of struck a nerve that yes, I can also totally understand how that happened.

 

[IrishMist]

IrishMist: That was a nice post. Your post totally made me realize how easily letting your guard down can happen in that kind of relaxed and relatively jovial atmosphere, and that it isn't akin to being a bad parent. As humans, we make some decisions everyday that are primarily based on our immediate surroundings. It's easy for some (myself included) to say "I would never leave my children alone" but when I read your post, it just sort of struck a nerve that yes, I can also totally understand how that happened.

Thanks, eleven. I'm getting pretty tired, and am not always sure if I'm saying what I'm trying to say.

I'm glad that you understood what I was trying to explain.

 

[blaize]

I find it interesting that they are responsible for their clients children, but it's not their fault she's missing. But that's beside the point.

I think this is CYA.

I've read that the McCann's left the kids in the apartment every night they were there while they ate at the restaurant. The other people eating with them that night also left their child in their room.

Yet this spokesperson claims that on that particular night, she just happened to offer her babysitting services, and only to the McCanns? Now that I think about it, that's almost suspicious...

Well the resort isn't actually a disinterested party in all of this either. They may have been advised by their legal people to damp down on any suggestions of impropriety or unsafe practices, mostly because of the possibility of insurance claims & the possible impact on their business if tourists believed the resort was in any way lax or negligent so they have to put their own spin on it too. This is pure speculation on my part of course.

 

[Rino]

I find it interesting that they are responsible for their clients children, but it's not their fault she's missing. But that's beside the point.

I think this is CYA.

I've read that the McCann's left the kids in the apartment every night they were there while they ate at the restaurant. The other people eating with them that night also left their child in their room.

Yet this spokesperson claims that on that particular night, she just happened to offer her babysitting services, and only to the McCanns? Now that I think about it, that's almost suspicious...

I think you are mistaken about the other couples. They all did not leave their children unattened.

Which would not make it odd at all that the staff would offer sitting services to the set of parents who did.

Also, I beleive they did in fact use the service some evenings. Back on research mode

 

[SleuthMom]

I think you are mistaken about the other couples. They all did not leave their children unattened.

Not sure of the rest, but O' Brien left his sick 3 year old vomiting without supervision. Wonder again why he and the Mc Canns are friends?

 

[ny_]

Thanks for finding & posting that Calikid. That's the quote I was thinking of.

It is pretty hard to sort out who's saying what, so that's what I meant about not being able to confirm it. On one hand it could be CYA by the hotel, but if the neighbor Mrs. Fenn had notified management about the noise/crying from the McCanns (& I've heard conflicting reports about that), it would certainly be a legitimate reason for the McCanns to be approached about child care.

That's what's so tough about this, the "evidence" is constantly shifting. I think it's a combination of the secrecy laws, language differences and the attempts of both sides to manipulate & spin things.

Given the inconclusive proof one way or the other, I'm tending to lean towards guilty based on subjective things like body language and the parents repeatedly smiling. Note, I'm not referring to a lack of public crying because I think everyone handles things differently and I don't think anyone should have to cry for the cameras to prove innocence. I'm talking about the weirdly, inappropriate grins. I can understand smiling around the twins, both for the twins' sake & I'm sure the twins would be one of the few things which could make parents smile in that kind of situation. But wide toothed grins like this one Colomom posted in the pictures thread?

Or these 2:

And another one previously posted by Colomom:

I just don't get it, these people think their child's been abducted by a pedophile ring. The facial expressions just simply don't match that. I'm not a parent, but I can only imagine what kind of fear, worry & terror a parent would go through thinking about what the poor child would be suffering through in that situation. I don't know if I'd cry for the cameras, but I can't imagine smiling for them that way knowing and/or believing my child was going through the sheer hell an abducted child would be going through.

I'm not asking this to be mean or cruel or to pick them apart, but does anyone know if they've been given tranquizers/sedatives to cope with the trauma? And would that explain the inappropriate facial expressions? Or is it some sort of nervous twitch? I'm trying to keep my mind open to explanations for this other than their guilt.

And there's the defensiveness on their part on everything ranging from leaving her alone in the first place to the police even merely considering the possibiity they may have had something to do with it. I can understand why they got a lawyer & left Portugual. I'd do the same if I were in a country where the language wasn't my first language & I didn't know the legal system too well. But once I got back home, I'd be cooperating with local authorities to the fullest extent possible so they could rule me & my husband out as suspects. Because the sooner they did that, the more quickly LE could turn their undivided attention to finding my child. I don't think I'd be trying to distract everyone with my spin. Not to mention releasing or encouraging my loved ones to release my wedding & communion photos.

 

[concernedperson]

These pics are horrid. I can't imagine a good mood when my child has stomach pain much less missing. The campaign to improve their lot is almost as bad as Maddie being missing. But, not quite. At the point where we are it would be much better for them to never open their traps again.

Someone needs to be searching for Maddie and it isn't her parents.

 

[Texana]

Perhaps this quote from today's Sunday Times (16/9/07) might serve to clarify the mindset of the McCann's & their friends while at the resort.

<source>

"The fact is that while I would never leave small children alone, I know dozens of people who routinely do, and I do not find them irresponsible, just tired.

There are so many of them that a whole service industry has built up around them: “family” hotels with a baby-listening service where someone *advertiser censored* an ear at the bedroom door every now and then while harassed parents try to grab the semblance of a date together in the dining room; holidays, like the McCanns’, with kids’ clubs attached, where children are parked with what amounts to a stranger while parents try to sunbathe in peace for a couple of hours; skiing trips where the chalet comes complete with a random nanny; gyms with crèches; restaurants with some weird bloke in a clown suit “entertaining” the children in another room; and so on."
<source>

In other words it's not as unusual as you might think to leave children unattended especially in what is considered to be a family safe environment.

In every case you mentioned except the one with the baby-listening, the children were left with some adult supervision, no matter what. If a child fell over choking or hung themselves in a window shade cord or darted from the room into a busy street, someone who could rescue the child was there to see that.

The most desperate and pitiful crackhead mother in the U.S. will try to leave her child with some babysitter/supervision--whether it's a 16 year old or a neighbor with several other children or even an ex-con boyfriend. Why? Because even in her pitiful, drug-crazed state, she recognizes that most basic need of her child--to be watched by another adult. It's instinctive and genetically hard-wired for thousands of centuries within each of us.

When you look at photos of mothers and children across various cultures in the world, you see so many ways that babies are kept safe. Babies on back, babies in slings, toddlers watched by grandmothers--Every culture across the world keeps a watchful eye in some way, of some kind, over their children. It's survival of the human race.

So the question isn't whether or not the McCanns left their children for good reason or whether or not they were safe, etc. The question is: Why did the McCanns leave at least two children alone in that room?

One way or another, Madeleine McCann was not safe in that resort room. And her parents refuse to admit that most basic fact.

What else are they refusing to admit?

 

[philamena]

Simple question, are the parents supposed to cry none stop, 24 hours a day,7 days a week for months? How about trying to remember other cases you've followed. Even Sharon Rocha and Ron Grantsy smiled once in a while. So did sweet Jessie's daddy, Mark. Not all the time, but sometimes they smiled.

 

[Texana]

Simple question, are the parents supposed to cry none stop, 24 hours a day,7 days a week for months? How about trying to remember other cases you've followed. Even Sharon Rocha and Ron Grantsy smiled once in a while. So did sweet Jessie's daddy, Mark. Not all the time, but sometimes they smiled.

I don't think the McCanns are necessarily guilty of anything because there are photos of them smiling, but I cannot remember any photos of Sharon Rocha smiling.