Kate and Gerry McCann have been given fresh hope that Madeleine is alive after learning of the discovery of a bag of clothes with a possible DNA link to their daughter.
The items are said to have been found just over two weeks ago in a lay-by near Faro Airport in Portugal, an hour's drive from Praia Da Luz where the four-year-old went missing on May 3.
It is understood the contents, including a child's T-shirt, a pencil case, a shower curtain, adult jeans and a blue fleece, were handed to the Policia Judiciaria who passed it on to the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham.
After 10 days of analysis, experts there are said to have found traces of hair and skin with a partial DNA match to Madeleine on the adult clothes. But the link is thought to be only partial - around three on a scale of one to eight.
Although they recognise that the link is at best partial, the McCanns were described as "encouraged" by the development which would suggest she could still be alive and also backs up their view that Madeleine was abducted.
A friend said: "It is encouraging because we think it shows that there is a chance, this could indicate an abductor has potentially discarded clothes on the way from Praia Da Luz.
"We realise this is not conclusive proof but we are encouraged the police have examined it and sent it for analysis so quickly.
"Certainly we feel that whoever owned the clothing has got a lot of questions to answer."
The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell declined to comment on the story but called for police to investigate.
"We simply cannot comment on yet another unsourced, speculative report," he said. "But Gerry and Kate trust that the police will, of course, follow up any potential lead that could indicate she was abducted as that is exactly what happened."
