Suspicious Parents Roll in the Dough... Much like the mid-nineties murder investigation of young JonBenet Ramsey, the world has been fascinated by the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. After her disappearance this past May, the British toddler’s parents embarked on a worldwide campaign to get their Maddie back. The media coverage was overwhelming as the McCann’s secured the public support of David Beckham, the Pope, and everyone in between.

This case seemed to fizzle out of the media spotlight until recently, when Kate McCann was formally named a suspect in the case of her own daughter’s disappearance. This “new evidence” (which includes the discovery of hair and bodily fluid in the trunk wel of a car rented by the McCanns) sparked my immediate suspicions of the McCanns, and I began to reflect on what now seemed to be an overzealous attempt to clear their name. Could the Pope have been tricked? Could David Beckham really have endorsed a murderer? It was all just too much to take…

Until today, when CNN reported that billionaire Richard Branson plans to contribute $200,000 to help pay for the McCann’s legal costs. I’m not sure what struck me more… the fact that another celebrity is willing to shell out the dough to support these two parents/prime-suspects (who both happen to be doctors in their own right and are extremely well-off), or the fact that Mr. Branson’s own (reported) “BFF” and fellow aero-adventurer, Steve Fossett, has been missing for two weeks and Branson has seemingly done very little to aid in his search and rescue effort.

Regardless of where Branson’s priorities lie, I will continue to be skeptical of the McCann parents as well as the celebrities who are so eager to support them.  ¶ posted by Kristen at 12:54 AM •