On the afternoon of September 26th a group of about one hundred students … were ambushed by police patrols and that’s when the shooting started: police shot indiscriminately at the three buses. ibid.
‘Police hand-picked the ones that were taken away.’ ibid. escapee
More mass graves were being discovered. ibid.
Since 2006, over 27,000 people have been disappeared in Mexico. On September 26 2014 a group of college students travelling by bus came under attack in Guerrero state. 43 have not been seen since. Field of Vision: They Took Them Alive, 2016
‘I think what happened to the 43 was meant to intimidate the people. They were telling us, If you speak out, we’ll silence you.’ ibid.
The GIEI, a group of outside experts, was appointed by an international human rights commission to investigate the students’ disappearance. ibid. caption
I don’t remember any child abduction case globally, larger, more high profile or impactful than Madeleine McCann. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann I: The Beneath Truth, dude, Netflix 2019
I could hear Kate howling and it was an animal sound. ibid. holidayer
The lack of preservation of the scene … Evidence had been trampled. ibid. Robbyn Swan, investigative journalist
How is it possible for some stranger to know that those children are alone, go in, remove one child without waking up the others or apparently the child that they are taking? They then make their way out again. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann II: Person of Interest, BBC correspondent Robert Hall
… And that’s when they raided the house … They took everything and then stuck me in a police car and off I went to the PJ [Police headquarters] … They wanted me to confess … They didn’t give me any food, they didn’t give me any water. ibid. Robert Murat
So much political involvement. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann III: Pact of Silence, Portuguese journalist
A gigantic news story across the world. ibid. PR consultant to McCanns
The McCanns do not stand up to investigation. ibid. Portuguese investigator/journalist
There was hostility from the Portuguese police. ibid. PR consultant
There’s a conflict about the shutters. ibid. journalist
Blood scent dog stopped dead in Maddie’s room and barked at the wall. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann IV: Heaven & Earth, Sun article 7 August 2007
He [cadaver dog] alerted to something on the driver side door [McCann family rental car]. Keela, the blood scenting dog, too alerted [to] the silver Renault. She also alerted to something in the boot of the car on the right side. ibid. Robbyn Swan
I counted over 70 photographers outside the church alone. ibid. PR consultant
I would be 60-80% sure that it was Gerald McCann that I met that night carrying a child. I am basing that on his mannerism in the way he carried the child off the plane. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann V: The Fightback, witness police statement
The are calling it the Fightback after days of rumour, allegations and innuendo. ibid. UK television news
I had to repeatedly explain to journalists that it wasn’t until 25 days I think after she disappeared that they actually rented a car. ibid. PR consultant
My inside [police] sources lied to me. ibid. Portuguese journalist
It’s the not knowing that’s the worst part. ibid. missing child expert
When I saw Kate and Gerry they were crying. At that moment I realised that of course they had nothing to do with the disappearance of her daughter. When you meet the persons, it becomes personal for you. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann VI: Dark Places, Portuguese private investigator
The sheer avalanche of sightings of the missing Madeleine McCann. ibid. investigative journalist
In tragic cases like Madeleine McCann you should never rule out a commercial motive. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann VII: Truth & Lies, missing child expert
2009: A judge rules to ban further sales and publication of Goncalo Amaral’s book and documentary The Truth of the Lie. ibid. caption
Robert [Murat] was the ultimate good Samaritan. But a good Samaritan who was mugged. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann VIII, Somebody Knows, lawyer
I felt totally violated. ibid. Kate McCann, on leaking of diary by Portuguese rozzers
Exclusive: Cameron Orders New Met Police Probe Into Madeleine Case … PM: I’ve reopened Maddie files. ibid. Sun headline
9.30 pm: Matt Oldfield checks on the children … Is it possible that the sound Oldfield heard and the likelihood that the shutter was open indicated that an abductor was at that very moment in the children’s room? ibid. Anthony Summers, journalist
Blond-haired males apparently lurking near the apartments. ibid. British rozzer
Steven Koechner was, by all accounts, a respectable young man. He lived in St George, Utah, was active in church, and had never been in trouble with the law: he hadn’t even gotten so much as a parking ticket. Still, life wasn’t exactly going well for him.
It was December of 2009 and Christmas was rapidly approaching. Despite his seemingly constant money troubles, Steven was making the best of things. On December 11, he decided to take an impromptu holiday road trip … he would not make it home in time for Christmas …
30-year-old Steven Koechner was down on his luck. He was basically unemployed, owed back rent to his landlord, had no prospect of a relationship to speak of. Frankly, things were not going particularly well for him. But Steven had a plan.
Despite his debt, Steven had decided to take what appeared to be a random roadtrip. Perhaps it was a way to clear is head. Perhaps he thought that if he kept going, he might be able to find a new place that he liked enough to make a new life for himself. And so, he hit the road …
Steven drove from his home in St George, Utah but only made it as far as Henderson, Nevada before he stopped. If he was looking for a new home and a new life, it seemed odd that he would stop at a town that was a little over two hours away. Perhaps he was looking for something there.
It was close to Christmas time and the wayward 30-year-old still had his car packed with presents. He decided to pull over in a nice residential neighborhood in the Henderson suburbs. He stopped and parked the car at the end of a cul de sac: a dead-end street …
Steven got out of the car, where he was seen by a nearby home security camera. He walked with purpose, holding a small package of some kind under his left arm. He walks past the camera at around 12:00 pm that morning, and was never seen again.
After that brief appearance on camera, Steven Koechner was never seen or heard from again. It was December 13, 2009. His mysterious disappearance raised a number of questions, many of which would only be investigated sometime after his initial disappearance …
The police pinged Steven’s cell phone and found that it had gone dead a little north of the area where his white Chevy sedan was parked. They examined the cameras and saw that he was carrying a package or a manila folder under his arm. What was inside of it, however, remained a mystery.
Inside the car, authorities uncovered a pile of wrapped Christmas presents which Steven had purchased only a few days earlier. They also found a number of pillows, a few blankets, and Steven’s shaving kit, but no suitcase. What had Steven been up to?
The same authorities were unable to find any evidence of foul play. Indeed, it appeared that Steven had simply vanished into thin air. When asked if he might have been suicidal, Steven’s friends and family made it very plain that he was not and that he was not the type of person to run away from life.
Steven’s inexplicable and impromptu 2,100 mile road trip and his subsequent disappearance, baffled authorities. His abandoned car and presents presented no clue as to what he might have come to Henderson looking for. After they had exhausted all other options, police started looking into Steven’s relationships …
Steven’s friend Greg, whom he had met at church, had apparently spoken to the 30-year-old right before he left his car in that cul de sac. According to Greg, they had both been in the same area for separate reasons, but hadn’t bothered to ask each other why during the course of the conversation.
Steven’s other contacts included his boss at the window washing company where he worked part-time, and his landlord. As for his boss, it seemed that he had given Steven $100 right before he vanished. Had it been what he was owed for a job, a personal loan, or something else entirely?