Madeleine McCann's parents have both been named as suspects for her disappearance by Portuguese police.
Gerry McCann was given 'arguido' status early this morning by officers around 12 hours after his wife Kate was also named as a suspect.
No bail conditions or charges have been set against the couple, who both deny any suggestion of being involved in the tot's disapparance in May.
But they will have to see a judge within the next 48 hours, who will decide what restrictions to place on the couple's movements.
The news comes amid claims the detectives who grilled Kate McCann for 16 hours are said to have offered her a deal if she confessed to killing Madeleine.
They allegedly promised her a "lenient" two-year jail term if she revealed what she had done with the four-year-old's body.
Sister-in-law Philomena McCann said last night: "Basically the police have accused Kate of murdering her daughter.
"They are suggesting that Kate has in some way accidentally killed Madeleine, then kept her body, then got rid of it. "They tried to get her to confess by offering her a deal through her lawyer.
They said 'If you say you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less'."
The alleged offer came as police yesterday made both Kate and Gerry McCann "arguidas" - formal suspect. Kate is said to have told them: "How dare you! How dare you use emotional blackmail to try to get me to confess."
Detectives accuse her of accidentally killing Madeleine in the McCanns' holiday flat in Praia da Luz. They believe she desperately tried to cover it up by initially hiding the body, then later moving it by car.
The theory is apparently based on traces of Madeleine's blood allegedly found in the boot of a Renault Scenic car hired three weeks after she went missing on May 3.
Philomena said police had also suggested a sniffer dog detected the scent of a corpse on Kate's clothes and in the car boot.
She added: "For some unknown reason there's something about a sniffer dog sniffing Kate. Suddenly a dog can talk and says it smelled a death."
Philomena said the inquiry now seemed to centre on Kate rather than husband Gerry. She added: "All the allegations appear to be about Kate. From what we hear, the evidence they seem to be producing focuses on her. Gerry's not the main suspect."
Detectives directly accused Kate, 39, of killing Madeleine as they questioned her for 11 hours on Thursday and for five more yesterday at their HQ in Portimao.
The mum, who also has twin two-year-olds, repeatedly denied having anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance.
Kate left the police station at 3.30pm yesterday after the gruelling sessions. She was not charged but must appear before a judge within 24 hours.
Police began interviewing Gerry, 39, half an hour after finishing with Kate.
He was still being questioned last night in a session that was expected to go on for some hours. A senior investigation source said Gerry, a cardiologist, was likely to also become a formal suspect. The source added: "Just because police questioned Kate first and over two days does not mean she is their only or even their main target."
Before going in to the police station, Gerry said: "The suggestion Kate is involved in Madeleine's disappearance is ludicrous."
A large crowd of locals jeered and booed Kate as she arrived at the police station for her second questioning session yesterday morning. But one British voice yelled: "We believe you, Kate."
Relatives claim Kate is being set up to take the fall for Madeleine's death.
Philomena said: "As far as I can see all they're trying to do is fit Kate and Gerry up now because they haven't found this perpetrator, who's wandering around free."
Madeleine's blood was allegedly found in tests carried out by Birmingham's Forensic Science Service on samples taken from the car boot. But many of the McCanns' outraged relatives say the crucial evidence must have been planted.
The couple are said to be on the point of pleading that British police or another outside agency be allowed to undertake a review of the entire case.
One friend said: "They want an independent inquiry to look at everything. Other agencies such as the FBI have much more experience in this field than the Portuguese police.
"The forensics done on the night Madeleine disappeared were extremely slapdash. The man who came out only had gloves to protect him from contaminating the scene. He didn't even wear a face mask.
"He took Kate and Gerry's fingerprints that night but they were done so badly they had to be redone the following day."
Another family friend said Kate gave her twins a huge hug when she finally got back after her ordeal with the police.
The friend added: "Kate is devastated by the thought Madeleine could be dead, let alone that she is suspected of having something to do with her death. Madeleine was an IVF baby and a very wanted child."
Friends who were on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished are expected to be interviewed again next week.
Kate, a locum GP, and Gerry, 39, have scrapped plans to return home to Rothley, Leics, on Sunday.
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