Archived mobile phone data proving invaluable to Madeleine McCann case
Continued investigations into the disappearance of Madelaine McCann are being aided by the wealth of mobile phone data which has allowed Scotland Yard detectives to trace almost every resident of the Algarve resort from which she vanished.
The data has seen police forces in 31 countries asked to assist in tracing the owners of every mobile phone logged in the Portugese resort on the day of Madelaine’s disappearance back in 2007.
Their details will then be followed up by detectives who could call individuals to ask for more details of their movements and activities at that time.
Data from thousands of individual mobile phones was available to Portugese authorities at the time but has only been analysed in detail now; including phone numbers and records of who they dialled. Text message content can no longer be retrieved however owing to the length of time which has now elapsed.
Det chief insp Andy Redwood, who is leading the new inquiry, said the telephone data could be the key to solving the crime. He added: “A lot of the focus of that is not necessarily to try to find the suspect, it’s trying to find witnesses."