Madeleine McCann could still be alive, a German prosecutor has revealed - less than a week after he claimed to have evidence that Madeleine is dead.
Last week, prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters speculated that Madeleine is no longer alive based on the information authorities have obtained throughout the 13-year investigation.
During a press conference, Wolters claimed investigators "think that Madeleine McCann is dead and are appealing for witnesses".
He reiterated his claims to Sky News, saying: "All indications we have got, that I can't tell you, points in the direction that Madeleine is dead."
Now, Wolters has confessed there is no forensic evidence to suggest Madeleine - who was just three when she disappeared from a Portugal hotel room in May 2007 - is dead, despite his previous suggestion that the girl had been killed.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror newspaper, Wolters backtracked and clarified "there is no forensic evidence" indicating Madeleine is dead. However, he said the lack of information means "there may be a little bit of hope".
In an attempt to justify his earlier claims, Wolters noted he prefaced his "private opinion" with 'I believe' during the press conference. He said he formulated his "speculation" based on the outcomes of other cases of kidnapped children.
In what was deemed as a "significant investigative update" earlier in June, London's Metropolitan Police revealed the 43-year-old German man is being treated as a "suspect" in Madeleine's missing persons case. He is currently imprisoned in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman and drug offences, it was later disclosed.
In a statement to local media following the allegations, the official spokesperson for Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said the two still "fervently hope" their daughter will be found alive.
"German police say they are assuming that Madeleine is dead but they have no proof. British police are keeping an open mind and Portuguese police are reacting with caution too," said spokesperson Clarence Mitchell.
While on a family holiday in May 2007, three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from a rented apartment in the Portuguese municipality of Praia de Luz while her parents had dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Thirteen years on, there is still global public interest in the now infamous case, which is still being treated as a missing persons inquiry by Met Police officials.
