Scotland Yard has identified 38 possible suspects in the case of missing Madeleine McCann.  

The 38 "persons of interest" to detectives include 12 Britons who were in Portugal at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007. The family and friends who were with the McCanns at the resort in Praia da Luz are not on the list.

Madeleine was just a few days away from her fourth birthday when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve as her parents dined nearby. 

The Met has spent the last two years reviewing thousands of documents related to the case from police in Britain and Portugal, as well as private investigators hired by the McCann family.

Det Ch Insp Andy Redwood, who is leading the inquiry, said: "The review has given us new thinking, new theories, new evidence and new witnesses."

He added that there was the possibility that Madeleine was still alive.

"We and the Portuguese authorities remain completely committed to finding out what happened to Madeleine and everything we do is focused on her best interests," he said.