Maddy McCann Cops Make TV Appeal in Four Countries for Help - ABC News

British police are making a televised appeal today for help in solving the disappearance six years ago of Madeleine McCann and the appeal will be broadcast in four countries.

The appeal, which includes an reenactment of the crime, comes a day after detectives released new images of a man they believe may have carried off Maddy McCann in the vacation town of Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.

Witnesses saw the man walking away from the family's vacation apartment carrying a small child at around the same time Madeleine's mother discovered she was missing.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the investigation, said today, "It is vital that we identify who he is."

Police are appealing for more information in a TV program airing later today in Britain.

Praia da Luz is a popular vacation destination, so detectives are travelling to Holland, Germany, and Ireland to appeal for more information. The British TV appeal will also be shown in Holland and Germany.

It will feature a reconstruction by actors of the events leading up to Madeleine's disappearance. It will also broadcast more computer generated images of other men who were seen in and around Praia da Luz in the days before and on the day of Madeleine's disappearance. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann were interviewed for the program.

In May 2011 Scotland Yard began a review of all the evidence, and says it now has a more accurate account of what happened the night Madeleine disappeared.

This has given new significance to sightings of people in and around the vacation town of Praia da Luz, including the man detectives are now trying to trace.

"The description of two different witnesses who saw him said he was a white man aged in his 30s with short brown hair, medium build, of medium height and clean-shaven. He was seen carrying a child aged 3-4 years old who had blonde hair and was possibly wearing pajamas," Redwood said.

"There may be an entirely innocent explanation of this man, but we need to establish who he is to assist with our enquiries."

Prime Minister David Cameron has voiced his support for the investigation. "I'm very pleased that Scotland Yard are doing this work," he said. "The Government has helped to fund the work that is being done. This was a crime that touched the heart of everyone in the country and everyone would like to see it resolved, so I hope Scotland Yard continue with their work and I wish them success."

Paul Luckman, publisher of Portugal News, the country's largest English language paper, is not so sure. "Six years have gone by and the case is over," he tells ABC News. "What can anyone realistically expect to find new?"