Kate and Gerry McCann, who have been in the international spotlight since their daughter Madeleine disappeared during a holiday in Portugal in May, have returned to England two days after being named as suspects by Portuguese police.

Kate and Gerry McCann, carrying twins Sean and Amelie, arrive at East Midlands Airport in England on Sunday. Portuguese police have named both parents as suspects in the disappearance of their daughter.
(Rui Vieira/Associated Press)

On Sunday, the couple and their two-year-old twins flew from Faro in southern Portugal to East Midlands Airport, where Gerry McCann read a prepared statement to reporters.

"Whilst it is heartbreaking to return to the U.K. without Madeleine, it does not mean we are giving up our search. As parents, we cannot give up on our daughter until we know what has happened."

On Friday, Portuguese police named the McCanns as suspects in Madeleine's May 3 disappearance, but did not confiscate their passports or restrict their movements.

The parents, who have conducted an international campaign to find the missing four-year-old, on Sunday repeated earlier statements that they had nothing to do with her disappearance.

"Despite there being so much we wish to say, we are unable to do so, except to say this: we have played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter Madeleine," Gerry McCann said.

The McCanns, who are both doctors, said they left Portugal to give their two other children a normal life at their home in the village of Rothley, about 160 kilometres north of London.

Madeleine McCann was last seen in her family's Portuguese hotel room in May.
(Associated Press)

The family was on holiday in the beachside village of Praia da Luz when  Madeleine's parents reported her missing. They said they had left their children sleeping in their hotel room while they dined at a nearby restaurant.

When the parents were officially named as suspects Friday, the Portuguese police cited traces of blood allegedly found in the McCanns' rental car by sniffer dogs brought from Britain.

Family members have discounted the claim, saying the couple did not rent the vehicle until 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.

Under Portuguese law, an arguido, or formal suspect, is someone treated as more than a witness, but has not been arrested and charged.

Until Friday, the only formal suspect in the case was a British man who lived near the hotel from which Madeleine disappeared. The man also maintains his innocence. That man's status as a formal suspect remains unchanged, a police spokesman said Friday.

The McCanns were questioned for hours on Friday. The girl's aunt, Gerry McCann's sister, Philomena, said police suggested Madeleine might have been killed accidentally and offered the mother a plea deal if she confessed.

The Portuguese police have faced tremendous international scrutiny over the handling of the case.