British investigators say newly unearthed cell phone records may finally provide a break into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the young girl who vanished while on vacation in Portugal with her family six years ago.
Scotland Yard investigators are poring over more than 40,000 pages of documents that have provided them with new leads in the May 2007 disappearance of the girl, who was 3 years old at the time.
“There is new information not previously presented,” authorities said in a statement. “Fresh, substantive material upon which to make an appeal. It’s substantially different. It’s not just a bland ‘can you help us’ appeal, there is some different material and a different understanding.”
Madeleine disappeared while sleeping inside her family’s vacation apartment in a Portuguese village. Her parents were down the street at the time.
Authorities say they are examining every cell phone number used in the area at the time of the girl’s disappearance. Scotland Yard launched an investigation into the case earlier this year, exploring leads many critics said Portuguese authorities failed to take up before they closed their probe years ago.
On Oct. 14, the girl’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, will make another appeal for the public’s help in light of the new information. They will appear live on a British television show.