Woman insists she saw toddler kidnapped

PRAIA DA LUZ, Portugal, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A friend of Madeleine McCann's parents says she is convinced she saw the girl being kidnapped, despite those who call her a "liar and a fantasist."

Jane Tanner was one of seven friends dining with Jerry and Kate McCann the night Madeleine, then 3, vanished from a vacation apartment May 3 in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

Tanner said she told police she saw a man carrying Madeleine near the apartment but only realized later it was the McCann's daughter. Tanner said she decided to speak publicly after being described as "a liar and a fantasist," The Times of London reported Saturday.

"I know what I saw," Tanner, of Exeter, England, told the BBC for a program to be broadcast Nov. 19 called "The Mystery of Madeleine McCann."

The McCanns, who have been named suspects in Madeleine's disappearance, hired an artist to create an impression of the man Tanner said she saw.

Portuguese authorities, who want to reinterview Tanner, say they believe Madeleine was kidnapped or died as a result of an accident in the apartment, the Times reported.