The initial Portuguese investigation failed to preserve the scene adequately, so the opportunity to gather forensic evidence from Madeline McCann's room at the Ocean Club was lost. Long-term residents remember joining in uncoordinated and ad-hoc searches of the town.

The 3-year-old girl's 2007 disappearance sparked one of the most publicized missing-person investigations in British history. The case is open again.

Police investigating the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann have searched near an abandoned building in southern Portugal.