The police case against Kate and Gerry McCann was submitted to the public prosecutor today, amid conflicting reports about the nature of the DNA case against them.
Gerry McCann and lawyer leaving Portimao station
According to police briefings given to Portuguese journalists, the samples found in the back of the McCanns' car were not blood but other "bodily fluids". These have provided an 88 per cent DNA match to Madeleine.
So much of Madeleine's hair was also found in the vehicle's boot that it must have come directly from her body, and not just been transferred from clothing or a toy, according to the briefing.
This conflicts with claims from British sources that the police's case is based on blood found in the silver Renault Scenic car hired 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.
It was claimed yesterday that the blood was a 100 per cent match, although this was played down this morning.
Ten volumes of evidence were today handed over in stages to Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses, the district attorney based in Portimao.
They outline the Portuguese police's version of events surrounding Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz on May 3.
Detectives in the Algarve believe Mrs McCann might have killed her daughter by accident while her husband helped cover up the crime.
Mr Meneses will sift through a large amount of evidence, including the results from the Forensic Science Services in Birmingham.
Mr Meneses will also look at the toxicology reports and the interviews carried out with the couple last week.
A Portuguese police source said Mrs McCann's inability to sufficiently explain why traces of Madeleine's blood were found in the back of the hire car only added to the case against them.
The part-time GP was also asked why the "smell of death" was picked up on her clothes by specialist sniffer dogs.
Once he has studied the report, Mr Meneses has several options open to him.
He can order renewed police activity, such as searches of specific properties or sites.
He can upgrade the cautionary measures - or restrictions - on the couple, summoning them back to the Algarve and even placing them in custody if he felt it necessary.
If Mr Meneses decides there is enough evidence to call the McCanns before a criminal judge, he will notify the lawyers involved.
Police in Portugal are convinced that the couple are connected to their daughter's death.
A source said: "The investigation is far from finished. "Investigators are trying to demonstrate that her death in the apartment was an accident, negligence or provoked."
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