London's Metropolitan Police have contacted Australian investigators after a body appearing to match the description of missing British preschooler Madeleine McCann was found in an abandoned suitcase.

Madeleine McCann disappeared while on vacation with her parents in Portugal in 2007 when she was 3 years old. The suitcase was found along the side of a highway in Adelaide in South Australia, with a fair-haired child between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4 years old inside.

Investigators say the remains they found belonged to a child who was killed at a separate location sometime after the start of 2007.

"We are aware of reports of the remains of a child having been found in South Australia and we have made contact with the Australian authorities," a spokesman said.

Australia police commissioner Grant Stevens told the New York Daily News there is no evidence to suggest the child they found is McCann.

The suitcase also contained clothing and personal items for a young girl, including shirts, shorts, pajamas, pants and a tutu.

The Madeleine McCann case has captivated people around the world since her mysterious disappearance. McCann's parents, both physicians, were placed under intense scrutiny and investigated as suspects. Without enough evidence to prosecute anyone, police closed the case in 2008.

That same year, the McCann's were given a front-page apology and "several libel payouts" from newspapers who had openly speculated about their possible involvement, the New York Daily News reported.

The case was reopened in 2013.