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Madeleine McCann Update: Police release sketches of man sought for questioning in 2007 disappearance

Man wanted for questioning in the disapperance of Madeleine McCann.
Man wanted for questioning in the disapperance of Madeleine McCann. Metropolitan Police

(CBS) - British police investigating the 2007 disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann have released two new composite drawings of a man they want to question in her suspected abduction.

The images were released ahead of the broadcast Monday night of a the BBC "Crimewatch" program about the case, which has made headlines around the globe.

Investigators with London's Metropolitan Police said they had completed a more detailed reconstruction of the events surrounding Madeleine's disappearance and that the timeline and version of events had "significantly changed."

Another sketch of the man wanted for questioning in the Madeleine McCann case.
Another sketch of the man wanted for questioning in the Madeleine McCann case. Metropolitan Police

Police did not say exactly what had changed, but said it was of "vital importance" that they speak to a man described by witnesses. The man is described as German. He is white, between the ages of 20 and 40 with brown hair, police said.

Madeleine, from Leicestershire, England, was on vacation with her family in the southern Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz when she vanished on May 3, 2007. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, told police they left Madeleine and two younger siblings sleeping in their holiday apartment while they dined with friends nearby. When the parents returned to check on the children, Madeleine was gone.

Portuguese police named first a local man and then the McCanns themselves as suspects in the case, but backed off those allegations without filing charges. Portuguese police later closed the case, but British authorities began their own probe. Kate and Gerry McCann have said they will never give up looking for their daughter.

Complete coverage of Madeleine McCann on Crimesider

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