DNA of Maddie lookalike sent from NZ

Kate and Gerry McCann hold an age-progressed police image of their daughter during a news conference to mark the 5th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on May 2, 2012. Photo: Getty

New Zealand police have obtained a DNA sample from a young girl people had thought to be Madeleine McCann, at the request of Scotland Yard.

The request follows a New Year's Eve sighting of the girl in Queenstown. It was not the first time her striking resemblance to the missing young British girl had been reported to police.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis, of Dunedin, confirmed police would be sending a DNA profile of the girl to British police investigating Madeleine's disappearance.

"Police will be sending a DNA profile to British police . . . to confirm the identity of a girl who has been mistaken for Madeleine by a member of the public," Mr Croudis said.

DNA sampling was a conclusive way to establish identity, he said.

The DNA profile was given voluntarily to police. The results of the test are not expected to be available for weeks.

"The results of this process will not be known for some time," he said.

Madeleine McCann went missing from the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 just before her fourth birthday. She was on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry and siblings Sean and Amelie.

Queenstown hit international headlines after a retailer reported serving a man, and a girl who bore a striking resemblance to the missing Madeleine, on New Year's Eve.

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DNA of Maddie lookalike sent from NZ