What Madeleine McCann would look like now, according to artist

It's been 17 years since her tragic disappearance, and authorities are seemingly still no closer to determining what happened to British toddler Madeleine McCann.

The three-year-old's loved ones still hold onto hope that she's alive and that images of what the now 20-year-old would likely look like today will assist in tracking her down.

What happened to Madeleine McCann?

The toddler went missing from the bedroom she was sharing with her younger twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, in a Praia da Luz holiday complex back in 2007.

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate had left their three children in their Algarve apartment to enjoy dinner with their friends at a nearby restaurant.

Only when returning to the two-bedroom apartment at around 10.00pm did Madeleine's mum discover that the youngster was missing.

Since then, millions has been invested into the investigation into Madeleine's whereabouts, which has often been branded the 'most reported on missing person's case in modern history'.

The tot's disappearance has also been the subject of countless documentaries and conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, a handful of individuals have since claimed the identity of the missing youngster, though no evidence has yet prevailed.

Madeleine McCann went missing over 17 years ago. (PA)

What is the latest in the investigation into Madeleine's disapperance?

Fingers have also been pointed at several different suspects in the years since Madeleine disappeared, including the toddler's parents themselves, who've been accused by conspiracy theorists, and Christian Brueckner, a now-convicted German sex criminal who was in the Algarve in 2007.

Since then, however, police are seemingly no closer to piecing together the remaining parts of the puzzle.

There is still hope, however, that images circulating on social media of what Madeleine would likely look like today will eventually provide a lead pointing to what happened to her.

The new image of Madeleine McCann

Artist and illustrator Simone Malik created an image last year of what she would look like as a 20-year-old.

The 42-year-old also used an image of what Madeleine's younger sister Amelie, 18, would look like now to inspire the graphic.

The image shows what Madeleine would likely look like now. (SWNS)

The pictures came after Amelie was photographed in public for the first time since her sister's disappearance, as she attended a vigil commemorating the 16th anniversary of her disappearance last year.

The artist - who describes herself as a 'super recogniser' - hopes that her picture will assist in the search, with the picture emphasising the similarities in Madeleine and Amelie's lips, eyebrows, eyes and square chin.

"Madeleine has the same eyebrow and eye area like her sister, the same prominent lines on her neck too - which were evident in her childhood photos," Simone explained.

"Madeleine and Amelie also share the same square chin feature. Madeleine's jaw line is more angular and a bit more chiselled compared to her sisters. She also possibly has dimples at the bottom half of her cheeks, which Amelie does not have.

"Madeleine McCann has a similar mouth to Amelie McCann, however Madeleine's upper lip is thinner and the gap from between her nose and lip is also longer."

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann. (PA)

The artist's plea

Yorkshire-based artist Simone is using her platform to urge anyone who has seen a girl resembling that portrayed in the image to come forward.

"I strongly believe, I have cracked the mystery of Madeleine MacCann's face, as she would look today," she explained at the time.

"We are basically looking for a look alike of Amelie McCann. I would urge anyone who sees a face like this or who believes they could be Madeleine McCann - to please come forward."