Madeleine McCann was reported missing from her family's hotel room on the 3rd of May 2007.
While it is true that she was never found, it is not true that no-one knows what happened to her. But her parents are rich and litigious, so the truth couldn't be included in the episode, but the writers did take inspiration from the case.
The facts of the case are that Maddie's parents drugged her and maybe her younger siblings, and left them in the chalet so they could go out to dinner. Leaving by the patio doors, which they left unlocked, (because they only locked from the inside) because using the front door might wake the children and spoil their plans.
The "unsub" supposedly found the unlocked doors, crept through a room of sleeping children (who are such light sleepers their parents couldn't use the front door), in the dark, found and picked Maddie up without disturbing her, and then vanished from the room without being seen by her parents, or anyone else in the group of diners 50m away.
When police interviewed the McCanns, Maddie's mum refused to answer any questions.
The McCanns washed Maddie's toy before giving it to police for the scent dogs.
3 months later, blood and cadaver dogs were brought in; both alerted police to traces in the McCann's recently rented car, among other places connected to the family.
A crowd funding page was set up in Maddie's name, to help with the costs of the search - the McCanns spent the money on mortgage payments.
Maddie's mother made a heartfelt statement to the media, where she said that all other British mothers were scum, and the only reason anyone suspected her of doing anything wrong was out of jealousy because she's pretty and rich.
A detective on the English side of the case made a statement that it was certain that the McCanns knew exactly what had happened to their daughter.
And the original lead detective in Portugal has made many statements, and written a book about the McCanns guilt. For which the already wealth couple sued. The original decision in the McCanns favour was overturned by the Supreme Court, and that decision was upheld by the Court of Human Rights, when the McCanns continued to fight for a payout.
Many amateurs (podcasters, bloggers, etc) have picked up the story and made many claims, most recently that an arrest will be made early next year (2025). None of them have any evidence to back their theories, but the case remains morbidly fascinating for many.
