Madeleine 'pills overdose' sensational claim
Shock claim that she died from sleeping tablets
Ryan Parry In Praia Da Luz 14/09/2007
Madeleine McCann died of a sleeping pill overdose, it was sensationally claimed last night.
Body fluids found in the boot of a Renault Scenic rented by parents Kate and Gerry allegedly prove the four-year-old had been heavily sedated.
The claim was made by French newspaper France Soir which said it had seen "hard evidence" to back it up.
Investigative journalist Guilhem Battut said analysis of the body fluids "prove that the little girl had ingested medicines, without doubt sleeping pills, in large quantities". The quantities were sufficient to cause an "overdose".
Battut said the forensic report was already with Portuguese prosecutors who are studying a 4,000-page dossier.
The file is believed to call for Kate to be accused of "accidental homicide".
Yesterday's development came as Portuguese police revealed they want to re-interview Kate, 39, who is at home with her family in Rothley, Leics.
Body fluids discovered in the tyre well of the McCanns' Renault are an 88 per cent DNA match to Madeleine, police sources have claimed.
Scientifically, it is possible to test such fluids for traces of drugs, including an overdose of sleeping pills.
Madeleine's hair has also reportedly been found in sufficient quantities to show that the youngster's body was in the Renault boot.
It can be determined if the hairs came from someone who was alive or dead.
Madeleine vanished from her family's Algarve holiday apartment at Praia da Luz 134 days ago.
Kate and Gerry, 39 - also parents of two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie - have been named as formal suspects.
Both fiercely deny any involvement in the long-running mystery.
They believe they are being set up to cover up a bungled police inquiry.