Police Too Quick to Call McCanns Suspects: Chief

Portuguese authorities were "too hasty" to name the McCanns as formal suspects in the disappearance of their daughter Maddie last May, conceded the country's top policeman yesterday. The McCanns have interpreted Alipio Ribeiro's comments as an implicit acknowledgment of their innocence, the Guardian reports.

"The only proper thing to do is to eliminate Kate and Gerry from the inquiry," said their spokesman, adding that naming them suspects last September likely deterred people from coming forward with information. The only other named suspect is a British expat, who also denies the charges. The McCanns are still pushing the investigation: they're requesting a review of police records, and have released an FBI sketch of the culprit. (More Find Madeleine Fund stories.)