One week after police announced two new leads in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, an old theory is being re-investigated.
According to the Sun, detectives from the search for Maddeleine are looking into a once discarded a theory the then 3 year-old girl walked out of her hotel room alone in search of her parents.
Detectives think that she may have been hit by a drunk driver, who put her body in the boot of his car and buried it at a later date.
However, retired detective David Edgar put forward another theory, telling the Sun he believes Maddie may have "no idea" about her true identity, and may resurface at "any time".
Madeleine McCann: New hope as police investigate two 'specific and active' new leads
Mr Edgar worked for the McCann's for three years, and he suspects Maddie may still be in Portugal according to his "hunch".
His "hunch" is that Maddie was abducted by a child sex gang.
He believes it is possible that she has no idea about the search for her.
"There is every possibility that Madeleine is still alive and could be hidden somewhere and having no idea that she is at the centre of a worldwide hunt for her".
Mr Edgar believes that Maddie may be living with her captor in a house or underground den inland from the popular tourist destination Algarve.
"The chance that she may have been smuggled out of the country without being detected is highly unlikely. There is someone in Portugal with an open knowledge of where she is and what happened".
He urges these people to come forward, saying that "it's never too late".
The search for Madeleine has cost over £11 milllion (NZ$20,560,000) so far.
Newshub.
