Southern Police advise that they have received confirmation from Scotland Yard that a DNA sample provided voluntarily from a girl mistaken as missing British girl Madeleine McCann on New Year's Eve in Queenstown last year does not provide a match for that of the missing girl.
At the time of the sighting Police made thorough inquiries into the sighting and were completely satisfied that the girl was not Madeleine McCann. The DNA test result, as requested by Operation Grange - the British police operation investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance - supports and confirms the original Police investigation into the matter.
The sighting is the second of the same girl, the first being in March 2012. At that time Operation Grange did not exist and therefore there was no follow-up request for a DNA test by British authorities.
Police say that at no stage has the girl been identified by NZ Police. Her family has made it very clear that although they appreciate the concerns raised by the public, the family wish to maintain their own and their daughter's privacy.
Given that there is conclusive evidence that their daughter is not Madeleine McCann and has no connection to Madeleine McCann, it is only right that she and her family are entitled to a level of privacy that most of us enjoy.
The family has asked that their privacy continues to be respected and do not want any contact from media.
ENDS
Released by Detective Inspector Steve McGregor, Southern District Crime Services Manager