NZ-Aust Maddy search widens

The Downunder connection to British girl Madeleine McCann's disappearance goes deeper than investigators have revealed, a spokesman for the family has hinted.

Speaking on behalf of Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, Clarence Mitchell admitted new information linking a New Zealand or Australian woman to the case was vague.

But he suggested there was more to private detectives' search in this part of the world than had been publicly announced.

"We are not doing this in a complete vacuum," Mr Mitchell said. "Anything that is done publicly is part of a wider picture.

"There is other work going on in other directions, some of it perhaps in Australia, some of it perhaps in Portugal, other places too."

Four-year-old Madeleine vanished from her family's rented holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, while her parents dined with friends at a nearby restaurant.

The man heading the McCann's search for their daughter, Dave Edgar, on Thursday revealed the case had taken a new turn.

A British man, who does not want to be identified, has told detectives he held a brief conversation with an Australian-sounding woman in the Spanish city of Barcelona just three days after Madeleine went missing.

While investigators do not believe the woman is a suspect in the case, they believe what she said could be significant to their investigation.

The woman is described as being in her 30s, of glamorous appearance and speaking fluent Spanish.

"In investigative terms, that gives her quite a distinctive profile," Mr Mitchell said. "That might be enough for somebody somewhere in the world to come forward." Anyone with information Madeleine's on disappearance can visit www.findmadeleine.com.

- AAP