Madeleine McCann Investigation Gets More Funding: Reports

By Epoch Newsroom
September 28, 2017 Last Updated: September 28, 2017
A photo of British girl Madeleine McCann aka Maddie is displayed on a TV screen at an apartment in Berlin, on Oct. 16, 2013. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

U.K. police investigating the 2007 disappearance of toddler Madeleine McCann have been given more funding, it was reported Thursday.

The U.K. Home Office sanctioned an increase of 154,000 pounds ($206,000) in funding for the Metropolitan Police inquiry, known as Operation Grange, until March of next year, according to the BBC. Madeleine, 3, disappeared in May of 2007 while her family was vacationing in Portugal.

Some 11 million pounds ($14.7 million) has been spent searching for the girl so far.

A Home Office spokesman told The Guardian, “Following an application from the Metropolitan police, the Home Office has confirmed funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2018. As with all applications, the resources required are reviewed regularly and careful consideration is given before any funding is allocated.”

The Guardian reported that many of the officers who are working on the case will stay onboard. In 2015, the number of detectives working the case have been cut down from 29 to four.

Madeline’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have said they won’t give up hope in finding the girl.