Police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance almost 10 years after she went missing have said a critical line of inquiry is still being pursued.
Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley said there are still 'critical' leads that are of 'great interest' in the investigation, as the search nears its tenth anniversary.
Madeleine disappeared on the evening of 3 May 2007 from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve region of Portugal.
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Her mother Kate described the approaching 10th anniversary as a 'horrible marker of time, stolen time'.
The only four official suspects investigated by the Met Police over the abduction of Madeleine McCann have also been ruled out of the inquiry.
Asked if police were any closer to solving the case than they were six years ago, Mr Rowley said: "I know we have a significant line of inquiry which is worth pursuing, and because it's worth pursuing it could provide an answer, but until we've gone through it I won't know whether we are going to get there or not."
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He added that there was no 'definitive evidence' as to whether Madeleine was alive or dead and reaffirmed that 'there was no reason whatsoever' to suspect Madeleine's parents were involved in the disappearance.
"However she left that apartment, she's been abducted," he said. "This is a young girl who is missing.
"We've got some thoughts on what we think the most likely explanations might be and we are pursuing those."
Last month, Operation Grange was given £85,000 of Home Office funding to extend its investigations until September. Four detectives are currently working on the case in the UK and over £11 million has been spent on the case in total.
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It comes after documentary makers claim to have found a 'major breakthrough' in the case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance.
Creators of the Australian TV show have said they are set to reveal new evidence in a 'landmark' television event this weekend.
Sunday Night is a current affairs show Down Under promised to reveal the fresh lead in a TV first, which filmmakers think could bring the case closer to a conclusion.
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Credit: Channel 7/Sunday Night
The documentary also features interviews with former lead investigator Goncalo Amaral. Amaral has been involved in several legal battles with the McCanns in the past few years.
In his book, The Truth of the Lie, Amaral claims that Maddie died in the holiday flat and Gerry and Kate covered it up. The McCanns took him to court in Lisbon to sue for libel and were awarded €500,000 (£429,000) in compensation. However, last year, an appeals court overturned that ruling.
The McCanns put in a counter-appeal, which they lost in January this year.
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The filmmakers also interview Pat Brown, a US criminal profiler, who has previously said she believes Maddie is dead and her body is most likely in a 'desolate location' and will never be found.
Understandably, Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have urged the documentary makers to pass any leads or new information onto the police.
A spokesperson for the family told the Daily Star: "If the Australian TV show contains any credible, fresh lines of inquiry they should, of course, have been given immediately to the police."
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The show will broadcast as it leads up to the 10th anniversary of the little girl's disappearance. Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from the hotel apartment she was staying in in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents were at a tapas bar nearby.
Kate and Gerry have always said they believe their daughter is still alive.
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