Madeleine McCann’s parents have issued a statement to mark her 20th birthday. Kate and Gerry McCann told their daughter “we’re waiting for you” in the heartbreaking address. Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from a hotel room whilst on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. Kate and Gerry, from Rothley in Leicestershire, have campaigned to find their daughter over the years in the hope she will one day be reunited with her family. To mark Madeleine’s 20th birthday, Kate and Gerry wrote on the official Find Madeleine Facebook group: “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.” The couple also posted a photo of Madeleine taken on the Algarve holiday 16 years ago and a video of other photos. They captioned the clip: “Madeleine McCann is 20 years old today. “She’s still missing, still missed and we are never going to give up trying to find her.” The birthday messages come after Madeleine’s younger sister Amelie spoke out about her sibling’s disappearance for the first time last week. The 18-year-old, who was just two years old when her sibling vanished, lit a candle in a touching tribute to mark the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance on May 3. The teen was pictured for the first time since she was a toddler at the poignant ceremony, giving a glimpse into what her older sister might look like now. According to The Mirror, Amelie attended the ceremony alongside parents Kate and Gerry in their home village in Leicestershire. Amelie’s twin brother Sean did not attend. In 2020, German authorities named Christian Brueckner as the prime suspect over Madeleine’s disappearance.The 45-year-old denies any involvement in the McCann’s missing daughter, who is feared dead by police.
