CASTLE DONINGTON, England — A British couple named as suspects in the disappearance of their 4-year-old daughter returned to Britain yesterday, days after being grilled by Portuguese police about new forensic evidence authorities believe ties them to the case.

Kate and Gerry McCann, who have strongly denied any involvement in the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine, flew from Faro in southern Portugal with their 2-year-old twins. The father said the couple wanted “to consider the events of the last few days, which have been so deeply disturbing. … While it is heartbreaking to return to the U.K. without Madeleine, it does not mean we are giving up the search for her,” Gerry McCann said on the airport tarmac in central England.

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. Gerry McCann said he and his wife returned home “with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and police.”

“We have played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter Madeleine,” he added before the family left for their home in the village of Rothley, about 100 miles north of London.

The McCanns, who have not been charged, have said they would be available to return to Portugal for questioning if needed.

Portuguese police spokesman Olegario Sousa told the Associated Press the McCanns did not need official authorization to travel because they had provided authorities with their home address so that they could be contacted.

The McCanns say Madeleine vanished from a hotel room in southern Portugal’s Algarve region, where she and her siblings were sleeping, while her parents ate dinner at a nearby restaurant. Until Friday, suspicion had centered on Robert Murat, a British man who lived near the hotel from which Madeleine disappeared, and who was the only formal suspect.