05/03/2008
A year after the British girl, Madeleine McCann, went missing from her holiday apartment in the Portuguese town of Praia da Luz, authorities are still gathering evidence in their investigation and have not yet decided whether to bring charges or drop the case, Portugal's most senior detective said on Saturday.
Madeleine went missing exactly one year ago on Saturday, a few days before her fourth birthday.
Police have named her parents, Kate and Gerry, and local man Robert Murat as formal suspects in the case. They have all denied involvement.
Church services were due to be held in Praia da Luz and at the McCanns' home town in England to mark the one-year anniversary.
A British tourist in Praia da Luz, on Saturday, told the Associated Press that he found the incident "heartbreaking". "Your heart goes out to them, if anybody can imagine that they lost a child, it's heartbreaking, I just hope that someday they find her," he said.
However, a British man who lives in the Algarve resort spoke of his frustrations over the case. "I think it's a bit overblown, in my opinion, I live here so I wish it would just go away - to be honest, it's no good for us," he said.
Kate and Gerry McCann, who launched a worldwide online campaign to find their daughter, were not expected to travel to Portugal for the service. They returned to England in September, a few days after they were named as suspects.
However, Kate McCann has written a message that is to be read out during the service at the beach-side chapel in Praia da Luz and Gerry McCann's brother was expected to attend.
The service was to be given by Father Haynes Hubbard, the Anglican vicar of Portugal's Algarve region.
In England, the Archbishop of York has penned a special prayer for Madeleine McCann to mark the anniversary.
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