British parents of Madeleine McCann received news on Friday night that Scotland Yard had identified a number of suspects who may be responsible for the abduction of their daughter six years ago, according to gulfnews.com.
Madeleine McCann was only 3 years old when she went missing from her family's vacation apartment in the Algarve region of Portugal on May 3, 2007.
The McCanns maintain that their daughter was only 150 feet away from where they were having dinner when she was taken, and have not wavered in their belief that their daughter was kidnapped and still alive, according to ABC News.
Detectives now have produced a list of people to question that they say are of "interest to the inquiry," and Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann expressed their gratitude to British police.
"Kate and Gerry remain very, very pleased with the work that Scotland Yard are doing and have been encouraged by Operation Grange from the day it began," spokesperson, Clarence Mitchell told the media. "Beyond that, they simply will not comment on what are police operational matters."
The McCanns said they were encouraged to continue the search after three women who had been missing for a decade were found alive in Cleveland, Oh.
"Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods," the couple said in a statement provided to ABC News through a spokesperson. "So we ask the public to remain vigilant in the ongoing search for Madeleine." Kate McCann has become the ambassador for the charity Missing People.
The disappearance of Madeleine McCann became the subject of intense international publicity at the time, yet no sign of her was ever found, and Portugese police "shelved their investigation amid much criticism in 2008."
Following a 2011 campaign by the McCann family, one of the largest and most public ever created to find a missing child, Prime Minister David Cameron ordered Scotland Yard to review the case, and a team of 30 officers re-examined over 40,000 pieces of evidence in a review called Operation Grange.
Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, the head of Scotland Yard's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said that Operation Grange has identified "both investigative and forensic opportunities," and that the Portuguese government should reopen the case. He said the people of interest could be explored further, if only to narrow down the list of suspects.
In a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, Kate said the family still observes their daughter's birthdays and still gives her Christmas presents that "fill a keepsake box."
"As there is nothing to suggest that Madeleine is not alive we have to keep looking for her," she told the Telegraph. "Living in limbo with this void and uncertainty is truly dreadful. It's hard to rest, to find peace." If her girl were found alive, Kate said she could forgive the assumed abductor of her child.
"I don't know whether it's simply because I'm stronger or because there's no benefit in not forgiving someone," Kate said. "I can't change anything and I don't want to be eaten up by hatred and bitterness. And maybe there is an element of pity -- what kind of person could do something like this?"
In the recent statement, the McCanns asked the public to "remain vigilant" in the ongoing search for Madeleine. "Our thoughts are with the women in America and their families," they said.
