NZ Girl NOT Madeleine

Dunedin police say a child seen in New Zealand and thought to be Madeleine McCann is not the missing British girl.

Acting Southern Police District Commander Inspector Dave Campbell says police will not name the family or provide any details of their identity.

"New Zealand Police are mindful of the stress on the McCann family from possible sightings of their daughter worldwide," Campbell says.

Following TVNZ's exclusive interview with the woman who made a sighting of who she believes was the missing British girl, questions were being asked about the way New Zealand police handled a possible sighting.

Taryn Dryfhout was working as a checkout operator at Warehouse store in south Dunedin in late 2007 when a family of a man, a woman and a boy and girl came to the checkout.

"As soon as they entered the checkout I felt like it was her (Madeleine McCann) - she was blonde, quite petite and had very big eyes. It was a striking resemblance to the pictures of Madeleine," says Dryfhout.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/child-s ... rl-3393180
She remembers a lot about that meeting just over two years ago but not as clearly as she would have if she had been asked about it the day after.

"I'm not really much help to them after two years. I've had quite a few operations in the last couple of years and I've had a baby. My memories are fuzzy, I can't tell them the things I would have been able to tell them at the time," Dryfhout says.

She says the police seemed sceptical and dismissive.

A female officer came into the Warehouse, took the security footage and told her the image was inconclusive. No statement was taken and that was the last Dryfhout heard of the matter.

It has been revealed that once the information got to Portuguese authorities, it was put into a box marked "not relevant"

Madeleine's family are still just wanting answers about their missing girl.

"If anybody in New Zealand, particularly in the Dunedin area feels that they may have seen a child answering Madeleine's description as well, please tell the local police - it's absolutely the right thing to do," says Clarence Mitchell, McCann family spokesman.

Just about to post the same Bluj, its breaking news on the NZ msn site.

I am glad it is ruled out, Peaceful -- less work for the PIs.

I didnt think it was her Bluj tbh.
Dunedin is a small city, with a high percentage of ex pat Scottish people. If the locals thought Madeleine was there, they would have searched for her. It's a fairly close knit community on the South Island of NZ. You just wouldn't parade a missing child in the city the size of Dunedin.
But the CCTV image did resemble Madeleine.