McCanns Give First TV Interview Since Being Declared Suspects

LONDON, Oct. 25 2007 — -- The parents of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann gave their first television interview since being named official suspects in their daughter's mysterious disappearance 175 days ago.

"We miss her like crazy," an emotional Kate McCann told a Spanish interviewer Wednesday. "This is a 4-year-old girl," she said. "She needs to be with her family."

Public interest in the missing girl has been high since she vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia de Luz, Portugal.

In a shocking twist last month, Kate and Gerry McCann were named as official suspects by the Portuguese police, leading many observers to wonder whether the parents had a hand in the disappearance of their little girl.

In Wednesday's interview, the couple remained firm in their insistence that neither of them were involved in the disappearance of their daughter.

"We know the truth," Kate McCann said. "I know I'm innocent. Gerry knows he's innocent."

But the British and Portuguese media are not so sure. Recent reports have suggested that the couple accidentally killed Madeleine by administering a lethal dose of sedatives. Others have hinted at Kate McCann's reported frustration at coping with a "difficult" child without adequate support from her husband.

During the interview, both parents dismissed such allegations as "nonsense."

"We shouldn't be giving them the time of day," Gerry McCann said. "There is absolutely no suggestion that Madeleine or the children were drugged. It's outrageous."

Now, nearly six months after their daughter's disappearance, the McCanns are working hard to keep Madeleine's name in the public eye by launching a new hot line, based in Spain and run by private investigators.

Their hope is that anyone with news or sightings of the little girl will call in and help them uncover any new leads that will lead them to their daughter who, they believe, is still alive, despite media speculation to the contrary.