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Irish Daily Mirror
10-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Bombshell new Madeleine McCann evidence from images to 80GB hard drive
A new documentary has claimed to unveil bombshell new evidence about the chief suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, Christian Brueckner. The investigation 'Madeleine McCann: Inside the Secret Evidence' reveals circumstantial evidence linked to Brueckner, including images of children's swimming costumes and toddler's toys found at his property. It also revealed how a mask, guns and child kidnap stories where Brueckner describes using chemical ether to abduct a mother and her child. In one story, he reportedly wrote: "A very small girl enters the room. She's definitely not older than five. "Blonde, long hair tied in pigtails bounces cheekily back and forth as she comes towards me. I feel like I'm in paradise right now." Follow our liveblog below... It's not yet clear when the letter, in which Brueckner criticises the police, was written. A newly uncovered letter from lead suspect Christian Brueckner is said to mock German police's attempts to link him to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. In the handwritten note, seen by German newspaper Bild, he reportedly writes: 'Are there any traces of her in my vehicle? Any other traces of her in my possession? Photos? Is there a body? No, no, no.' The UK has spent several million pounds in its efforts to find out any information about Madeleine McCann. Funding given to Operation Grange has reached more than £13.2million since 2011. As of 2022, there were five Metropolitan police officers who were working on the case. The residents of Praia da Luz have said they hope the family of Madeleine McCann will "get closure." Long-term residents in the resort town said they hoped the search would bring the family much-needed closure. Speaking to the BBC, residents said: "We hope her family get closure." An explosive new Madeleine McCann documentary has revealed new bombshell evidence that may prove that Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the case. The new film hones in on circumstantial evidence found in his lair that points directly to why German national Brueckner is the prime suspect in the case that has gripped the world since Madeleine vanished in 2007. Clues have been few and far between since little Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday to the Algarve some 18 years ago. The investigation uncovers the disturbing finds at Brueckner's abandoned factory as well as his sickening obsession with young children. To read more, click here. The documentary revealed the existence of an 80gb hard drive that contains images and a laptop key, which might have persuaded police to launch another phase of the investigation. The hard drive also put Brueckner at the location of Arades Dam, in Portugal. A new TV documentary has compiled a host of circumstantial evidence, including images of children in swimming costumes as well as toddler toys found at his property. The documentary also reveals how a mask, guns and Brueckner's confession to using chemical ether to take a mum and her child outside a school. A document also put the suspect at the location of a search for Madeleine McCann where he allegedly said "she did not scream" as he discussed the British toddler with an associate. It also reveals harrowing kidnap stories where Brueckner wrote: "A very small girl enters the room. She's definitely not older than five." An ex-neighbour previously desribed convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner as an "angry young man." The neighbour, who lived in the same town where Madeleine vanished in 2007, recalled Brueckner had regular arguments with his then girlfriend. The neigbhour told The Independent: "If was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know how are you." She added: "Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work." Irish woman Hazel Behan, 41, claimed police were dismissive of her account that she was raped at knifepoint by Christian Brueckner. Hazel said she reported the assault in Praia da Luz 21 years ago but that they were dismissive of her claim. She said they continued to follow her for the next few weeks to analyse her behaviour and believes they were checking to see if she was sexually promiscuous or not. A former homicide police chief has shared why this missing person case captured the public in particular. Simon Foy, who led Operation Grange to find Madeleine in 2011, explained that the case had captured the world because it was 'every parent's nightmare'. He told The Guardian: 'When I was working in homicide investigations in the Met, occasionally these cases would come along which for some reason just connected around the public consciousness. 'It's a whole load of things: it's a young blond girl, it's a middle-class family, it's a holiday, it's every parent's nightmare. All that sort of stuff very unpredictably would combine together and you would go from virtually minimal media interest and coverage to significant and substantial media coverage, and that was all before the days of social media.' True crime tourists have flocked to Praia da Luz in a bid to retrace the family's last steps. British friends Joanne Sheppard, 60, and Jane Thorp, 61, visited the Ocean Club complex last week. Joanne told The Guardian: "When we decided to go on holiday, I said I would like to see the place where [Madeleine] went missing and I'd like to sit and see the scope of the area so we could get a feel of various routes where maybe Gerry McCann and Kate walked." An Irish woman who was allegedly raped at knifepoint by Christian Brueckner fears he will "hunt her down" when he is released from prison. Brueckner, 48, who is the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is set to be freed from a prison in Germany in September. He was jailed for the rape of a 72-year-old US woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2005. Now, Hazel Behan, 41, who bravely waived her right to anonymity, has opened up about her ordeal and said she is living in fear. She told The Sun: 'His sentence may be ending but mine never did. I have lived with fear every day for 21 years. Fear that I'll see him. Fear that he'll find out where I live and hunt me down. I also have fear that he'll do to someone else what he did to me. 'I've called him out in a public forum and I have genuine concern he could confront me. I wouldn't put anything past a person like him. If he is released, I will worry for every woman and child who, like me, believes the justice system is protecting them. A leopard doesn't change his spots.' A rescue expert has spoken to Fox News about the Madeleine McCann case, saying it's "frustrating" because the "five W's" remain unanswered. Bryan Stern is the founder of Grey Bull Rescue, a charity that rescues Americans and its allies from combat zones. He told Fox Digital: 'The five W's are unanswered right now: Who did it? How did it happen? When did it happen? Where did it happen, you know?' 'That's why these situations are so frustrating … because there's way more questions than answers. The only thing that anybody knows for sure is that there's a little girl who used to be walking the streets; now she's not.' He believes that the renewed search clearly suggests that officials are still searching for answers in an unsolved case. He said it may have been sparked by a tip off from someone close to Christian Brueckner, or the paedophile himself as part of a deal with prosecutors. Investigators are looking into claims a British man and his German wife were somehow involved in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann after the sister of the Brit tipped off detectives. The woman claimed in 2018 that the couple had been drinking close to where Madeleine went missing. They reportedly had been in a car that hit Madeleine while under the influence of alcohol. A note written by Christian Brueckner asked six questions. According to a note translated by The Sun, Brueckner wrote: "It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered." These are the six questions he raised: Portuguese police reportedly did not know what intelligence German police were working with when they launched the latest search. German officials packed up a few soil samples from the site during the search, although they have not commented on the significance of anything that was found. German police had been searching for any links that tied Christian Brueckner to the location where he had been at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007. Madeleine McCann vanished on May 3 while she was on holiday with her family at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz. Her parents went out for dinner with some friends while she and her brother and sister stayed at the holiday flat about 100 yards away. The adults had a rota system and, when it was Kate McCann's turn to check on the children, she found Madeleine was missing. Police were then alerted and guests at the complex started to search for Madeleine. Investigators made limited findings as they searched for any clues related to Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz. The probe unearthed limited findings including animal bones and small materials that have been hauled off for analysis. The area was investigated as lead suspect Christian Brueckner lived in a cottage in the area when Madeleine went missing in 2007. South African private detective Daniel Krugel said he believes the latest search happened in "the right area." He told The Olive Press: "I'm so excited the Germans are at the right spot. I'm very at ease that things will now go to an end. This is all I was waiting for. Justice for Madeleine. That's all I want." Danie Krugel, a South African private detective believes German police have uncovered "important key evidence". He told The Olive Press: "I'm so happy they've finally been searching in the right place and looking at their body language. I'm quite convinced they found something they were looking for. They only looked in three specific areas with 30 people brought in from Germany and it seemed they stopped suddenly early." He added: "They are in the right area. That's what I've said since the beginning, which was in 2007, that the signal was static, wherever she was, she was not moving. "I used that as a centre point and what I explained to the police is to use a centre point and then you make the 360 turn bigger and bigger. I'm so excited the Germans are at the right spot. I'm very at ease that things will now go to an end. This is all I was waiting for. Justice for Madeleine. That's all I want." While neither Portuguese nor German police have issued any statement, local media reported that they found clothing and animal bones. Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann. He started the six-minute rant on X by saying: "So no surprise the search in Portugal has come to nothing." He went on to speak about the 'very sketchy' information the new search was based on and the huge amounts of money being ploughed into the case. Read the full story here. A former neighbour of prime suspect Christian Brueckner in Portugal described the convicted paedophile as an "angry young man". The neighbour, who lived in the same town where Madeleine disappeared back in 2007, recalled hearing Brueckner having frequent domestic arguments with his then girlfriend. At the time of Madeleine's disapperance, Brueckner - often described as a drifter character - was living in Praia da Luz. The neighbour told The Independent: 'If I was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know, how are you,' she said. 'Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work.' A former flatmate of Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner has called on German police to carry out more searches. Thomas Hertel, who lived with the convicted paedophile in the same children's home, believes the fiend has buried crucial evidence yet to be found and wants the authorities to search all of his previous addresses. He spoke after German and Portuguese officers concluded their latest seemingly fruitless search near Praia da Luz, where she disappeared in May 2007. Thomas, 51, told the Sunday Mirror: 'I am sad. The parents deserve that Maddie is found. I didn't think they would find anything in Portugal, but I do think they might find something if they dig more in Germany. 'I would like to see them search everything in all the places where Christian lived. Brueckner doesn't say the truth, so it's really important that they find some proof so they know what really happened.' 'I lived with Maddie McCann prime suspect – I'm sure he left evidence somewhere' While Portuguese police had mostly been leading the charge into the investigation of little Madeleine's disappearance, a parallel taskforce has continued on British soil. The Metropolitan Police's investigation, dubbed Operation Grange, was dramatically downsized last year to just one detective chief inspector, two detective constables and a single member of police staff. At the time, the Met said the investigative team is under constant review, with resources being allocated in line with updated information about the case. DCI Mark Cranwell, who oversees the British investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann told The Mirror: 'We continue to support Madeleine's family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May, 2007 in Praia da Luz. Our thoughts remain with the family. ' The Metropolitan Police confirmed British officers had not been present in the latest German and Portuguese searches. Investigators used chainsaws, diggers and shovels in a bid to find any clue tat could shed light on the fate of Madeleine. A devastating new theory into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann emerged as officers called off a new search in southern Portugal. Portuguese authorities demanded an investigation into a British man and his German wife who might have killed the toddler in a drink-drive accident. The claim emerged after his sister tipped off police in 2018, claiming he could be covering up a dark secret. German and Portuguese investigators, who led the latest search for Madeleine McCann have yet to comment on any potential discoveries that were made. Crews took few soil samples and some animal bones after three days of searches but found little other information that they have made public.
Irish Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Detective slams latest Madeleine McCann search as wild new theory emerges
A British investigator has criticised the latest search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal. Mark Williams-Thomas said the search this week was based on "very sketchy" information, and added it was "no surprise" it had "come to nothing". It comes after a bombshell new theory about Madeleine's disappearance emerged, suggesting a British man and his German wife hit the toddler in a drink driving incident. Follow our liveblog below... An ex-neighbour previously desribed convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner as an "angry young man." The neighbour, who lived in the same town where Madeleine vanished in 2007, recalled Brueckner had regular arguments with his then girlfriend. The neigbhour told The Independent: "If was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know how are you." She added: "Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work." Irish woman Hazel Behan, 41, claimed police were dismissive of her account that she was raped at knifepoint by Christian Bruckner. Hazel said she reported the assault in Praia da Luz 21 years ago but that they were dismissive of her claim. She said they continued to follow her for the next few weeks to analyse her behaviour and believes they were checking to see if she was sexually promiscuous or not. A former homicide police chief has shared why this missing person case captured the public in particular. Simon Foy, who led Operation Grange to find Madeleine in 2011, explained that the case had captured the world because it was 'every parent's nightmare'. He told The Guardian: 'When I was working in homicide investigations in the Met, occasionally these cases would come along which for some reason just connected around the public consciousness. 'It's a whole load of things: it's a young blond girl, it's a middle-class family, it's a holiday, it's every parent's nightmare. All that sort of stuff very unpredictably would combine together and you would go from virtually minimal media interest and coverage to significant and substantial media coverage, and that was all before the days of social media.' True crime tourists have flocked to Praia da Luz in a bid to retrace the family's last steps. British friends Joanne Sheppard, 60, and Jane Thorp, 61, visited the Ocean Club complex last week. Joanne told The Guardian: "When we decided to go on holiday, I said I would like to see the place where [Madeleine] went missing and I'd like to sit and see the scope of the area so we could get a feel of various routes where maybe Gerry McCann and Kate walked." An Irish woman who was allegedly raped at knifepoint by Christian Brueckner fears he will "hunt her down" when he is released from prison. Brueckner, 48, who is the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is set to be freed from a prison in Germany in September. He was jailed for the rape of a 72-year-old US woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2005. Now, Hazel Behan, 41, who bravely waived her right to anonymity, has opened up about her ordeal and said she is living in fear. She told The Sun: 'His sentence may be ending but mine never did. I have lived with fear every day for 21 years. Fear that I'll see him. Fear that he'll find out where I live and hunt me down. I also have fear that he'll do to someone else what he did to me. 'I've called him out in a public forum and I have genuine concern he could confront me. I wouldn't put anything past a person like him. If he is released, I will worry for every woman and child who, like me, believes the justice system is protecting them. A leopard doesn't change his spots.' The UK has spent several million pounds in its efforts to find out any information about Madeleine McCann. Funding given to Operation Grange has reached more than £13.2million since 2011. As of 2022, there were five Metropolitan police officers who were working on the case. The residents of Praia da Luz have said they hope the family of Madeleine McCann will "get closure." Long-term residents in the resort town said they hoped the search would bring the family much-needed closure. Speaking to the BBC, residents said: "We hope her family get closure." A rescue expert has spoken to Fox News about the Madeleine McCann case, saying it's "frustrating" because the "five W's" remain unanswered. Bryan Stern is the founder of Grey Bull Rescue, a charity that rescues Americans and its allies from combat zones. He told Fox Digital: 'The five W's are unanswered right now: Who did it? How did it happen? When did it happen? Where did it happen, you know?' 'That's why these situations are so frustrating … because there's way more questions than answers. The only thing that anybody knows for sure is that there's a little girl who used to be walking the streets; now she's not.' He believes that the renewed search clearly suggests that officials are still searching for answers in an unsolved case. He said it may have been sparked by a tip off from someone close to Christian Brueckner, or the paedophile himself as part of a deal with prosecutors. Investigators are looking into claims a British man and his German wife were somehow involved in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann after the sister of the Brit tipped off detectives. The woman claimed in 2018 that the couple had been drinking close to where Madeleine went missing. They reportedly had been in a car that hit Madeleine while under the influence of alcohol. A note written by Christian Brueckner asked six questions. According to a note translated by The Sun, Brueckner wrote: "It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered." These are the six questions he raised: Portuguese police reportedly did not know what intelligence German police were working with when they launched the latest search. German officials packed up a few soil samples from the site during the search, although they have not commented on the significance of anything that was found. German police had been searching for any links that tied Christian Brueckner to the location where he had been at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007. Madeleine McCann vanished on May 3 while she was on holiday with her family at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz. Her parents went out for dinner with some friends while she and her brother and sister stayed at the holiday flat about 100 yards away. The adults had a rota system and, when it was Kate McCann's turn to check on the children, she found Madeleine was missing. Police were then alerted and guests at the complex started to search for Madeleine. Investigators made limited findings as they searched for any clues related to Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz. The probe unearthed limited findings including animal bones and small materials that have been hauled off for analysis. The area was investigated as lead suspect Christian Brueckner lived in a cottage in the area when Madeleine went missing in 2007. South African private detective Daniel Krugel said he believes the latest search happened in "the right area." He told The Olive Press: "I'm so excited the Germans are at the right spot. I'm very at ease that things will now go to an end. This is all I was waiting for. Justice for Madeleine. That's all I want." Danie Krugel, a South African private detective believes German police have uncovered "important key evidence". He told The Olive Press: "I'm so happy they've finally been searching in the right place and looking at their body language. I'm quite convinced they found something they were looking for. They only looked in three specific areas with 30 people brought in from Germany and it seemed they stopped suddenly early." He added: "They are in the right area. That's what I've said since the beginning, which was in 2007, that the signal was static, wherever she was, she was not moving. "I used that as a centre point and what I explained to the police is to use a centre point and then you make the 360 turn bigger and bigger. I'm so excited the Germans are at the right spot. I'm very at ease that things will now go to an end. This is all I was waiting for. Justice for Madeleine. That's all I want." While neither Portuguese nor German police have issued any statement, local media reported that they found clothing and animal bones. Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann. He started the six-minute rant on X by saying: "So no surprise the search in Portugal has come to nothing." He went on to speak about the 'very sketchy' information the new search was based on and the huge amounts of money being ploughed into the case. Read the full story here. A former neighbour of prime suspect Christian Brueckner in Portugal described the convicted paedophile as an "angry young man". The neighbour, who lived in the same town where Madeleine disappeared back in 2007, recalled hearing Brueckner having frequent domestic arguments with his then girlfriend. At the time of Madeleine's disapperance, Brueckner - often described as a drifter character - was living in Praia da Luz. The neighbour told The Independent: 'If I was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know, how are you,' she said. 'Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work.' A former flatmate of Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner has called on German police to carry out more searches. Thomas Hertel, who lived with the convicted paedophile in the same children's home, believes the fiend has buried crucial evidence yet to be found and wants the authorities to search all of his previous addresses. He spoke after German and Portuguese officers concluded their latest seemingly fruitless search near Praia da Luz, where she disappeared in May 2007. Thomas, 51, told the Sunday Mirror: 'I am sad. The parents deserve that Maddie is found. I didn't think they would find anything in Portugal, but I do think they might find something if they dig more in Germany. 'I would like to see them search everything in all the places where Christian lived. Brueckner doesn't say the truth, so it's really important that they find some proof so they know what really happened.' 'I lived with Maddie McCann prime suspect – I'm sure he left evidence somewhere' While Portuguese police had mostly been leading the charge into the investigation of little Madeleine's disappearance, a parallel taskforce has continued on British soil. The Metropolitan Police's investigation, dubbed Operation Grange, was dramatically downsized last year to just one detective chief inspector, two detective constables and a single member of police staff. At the time, the Met said the investigative team is under constant review, with resources being allocated in line with updated information about the case. DCI Mark Cranwell, who oversees the British investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann told The Mirror: 'We continue to support Madeleine's family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May, 2007 in Praia da Luz. Our thoughts remain with the family. ' The Metropolitan Police confirmed British officers had not been present in the latest German and Portuguese searches. Investigators used chainsaws, diggers and shovels in a bid to find any clue tat could shed light on the fate of Madeleine. A devastating new theory into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann emerged as officers called off a new search in southern Portugal. Portuguese authorities demanded an investigation into a British man and his German wife who might have killed the toddler in a drink-drive accident. The claim emerged after his sister tipped off police in 2018, claiming he could be covering up a dark secret. German and Portuguese investigators, who led the latest search for Madeleine McCann have yet to comment on any potential discoveries that were made. Crews took few soil samples and some animal bones after three days of searches but found little other information that they have made public. Convicted rapist Christian Brueckner, 48, boasted German police would never pin the disappearance of Madeleine McCann on him. He taunted police, asking: "Is there a body? No, no, no." In a letter published by the Sun, he said: "Was I or my vehicle clearly seen near the crime scene on the night of the crime? "Is there DNA evidence of me at the crime scene? Are there DNA traces of the injured party in my vehicle? "Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos? And, not to forget, is there a body/corpse? All no, no no." The UK has spent several million pounds in its efforts to find out any information about Madeleine McCann. Funding given to Operation Grange has reached more than £13.2million since 2011. As of 2022, there were five Metropolitan police officers who were working on the case. The residents of Praia da Luz have said they hope the family of Madeleine McCann will "get closure." Long-term residents in the resort town said they hoped the search would bring the family much-needed closure. Speaking to the BBC, residents said: "We hope her family get closure." Grey Bull Rescue founder Bryan Stern has weighed in on renewed search for Madeleine McCann. In a six-minute interview he told Fox News: "She will never come home, that would be a miracle that she's alive. Not even knowing that she's dead is painful. That by itself is very, very, very,very hard, it's the hardest part of my job by far." A vile letter from the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has raised some questions over the case. While Christian Brueckner has gloated that police will never pin the case on him without a body his letter raises six major questions in the police investigation. Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, reportedly sent a letter to officers saying questions which would implicate him in the Madeleine McCann case cannot be answered More details on the note, seen and translated by The Sun newspaper, Brueckner reportedly wrote can be found in our full story here. A letter penned by Christian Brueckner from prison has been released. The convicted paedophile wrote that police wouldn't find any evidence linking him to the Madeleine McCann case, according to The Sun. Part of the chilling note said: "Is there a body? No, no no." He also claimed that accusations against him "will not hold up and that the investigation will be dropped".
Wales Online
07-06-2025
- Wales Online
Madeleine McCann suspect sent letter about case to police, reports say
Madeleine McCann suspect sent letter about case to police, reports say He reportedly said 'decisive questions can never be answered' Christian Brueckner, in a light-coloured suit, stands next to his lawyer prior to the verdict in his trial on five unrelated sex crimes in Germany last year (Image: MICHAEL MATTHEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann sent a letter to police saying "decisive questions can never be answered", according to reports. Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, reportedly sent a letter to officers saying questions which would implicate him in the case of the three-year-old British girl, who vanished from the same resort 18 years ago, cannot be answered. In the note, seen and translated by The Sun newspaper, Brueckner reportedly wrote: "It is the important questions, the decisive questions, that can never be answered. "Was I or my vehicle clearly seen near the crime scene on the night of the crime? "Is there DNA evidence of me at the crime scene? Are there DNA traces of the injured party in my vehicle? "Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos? Article continues below "And, don't forget, is there a body/corpse? All no, no no." It is not clear when the letter was written. Brueckner spent time in the Praia de Luz area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near a reservoir. It comes as German and Portuguese investigators finished three days of searching a 120-acre stretch of land near Lagos, Portugal, on Thursday as part of attempts to source evidence to implicate Brueckner. In the searches, requested by German authorities, crews spent three days scouring scrubland and abandoned structures. Brueckner is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Madeleine McCann was three years old when she vanished on May 3, 2007, after her parents left her asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, Portugal. Madeleine McCann (Image: PA ) Since then hers has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the world with British, Portuguese, and European police forces involved in the investigation. Police forces from across Europe have launched multiple searches for Madeleine since her disappearance in 2007. Early efforts focused on the Praia da Luz resort where she was last seen in her family's holiday apartment. In 2013 British police began Operation Grange, a formal investigation into the case. Searches have included digging in scrubland, draining reservoirs, and using sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar. Most recently German authorities searched the suspect's old place of residence in Praia da Luz, covering a large patch of land near the home of their prime suspect and the McCanns' holiday apartment. Brueckner moved to Portugal in 1995 after serving a two-year prison sentence in Germany for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in 1994. He is known to have been renting a cottage in Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine's disappearance. Soon after the media descended on the resort in 2007 he moved back to Germany. Police have previously claimed he made a 30-minute phone call from the same area just an hour before Madeleine disappeared. He is alleged to have confessed on two occasions to kidnapping and sexually abusing the toddler – once to a friend in a German bar in 2017 and again to his prison cellmate in 2020. The German national was formally identified as a suspect in 2022 but has denied any involvement. He also denied committing the 2005 rape for which he was convicted of in 2019. In October 2024 he was acquitted of two charges rape and two of sexual abuse in a German trial where it was argued there was a lack of evidence and witnesses who were not credible. Brueckner has not been charged in the McCann case but German authorities began investigating him in June 2020 for her alleged kidnap and murder. Article continues below German authorities maintain that he is the main suspect in Madeleine's disappearance and are pushing for charges before his scheduled release in September.
Daily Mirror
07-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Questions raised by Madeleine McCann suspect's new letter - from DNA to photos
In his latest bid to clear his name, and gloat at police, Christian Brueckner has sent a letter to police which highlights six major questions in relation to the case A vile letter from the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has raised some questions over the case. German prosecutors are convinced of Christian Brueckner's guilt — but he has never been charged and denies any involvement. In his latest bid to clear his name, and gloat at police, he has sent a letter to police saying "decisive questions can never be answered", according to reports. Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, reportedly sent a letter to officers saying questions which would implicate him in the case of the three-year-old British girl, who vanished from the same resort 18 years ago, cannot be answered. Brueckner is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. In the note, seen and translated by The Sun newspaper, Brueckner reportedly wrote: "It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered." He went on to ask the following six questions: Was I or my vehicle clearly seen near the crime scene on the night of the crime? Is there DNA evidence of me at the crime scene? Are there DNA traces of the injured party in my vehicle? Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Or photos [of the above]? Is there a body/corpse? He added that the accusations against him "will not hold up and that the investigation will be dropped". The letter carried on with Brueckner claiming that the case was built on "purchased witnesses" but said he understood the German legal system well and claimed it would be unlikely for him to be locked up for her disappearance. It comes after German and Portuguese police came together this week to search every properties and pieces of land linked to Brueckner, as his sentence is due to end in September. Investigators are said to be set on the idea that the paedophile took the three-year-old but and are desperate to prove this before he is freed - the predator has denied any involvement. This search, the most significant since 2008, included an abandoned farmhouse surrounded by partially collapsed outbuildings. Police were spotted removing mounds of earth from the scene, which was then taken away in plastic bags for further examination. Firemen were also spotted draining an abandoned well. Despite this, nothing related to the missing girl appeared to have been found during the operation, police however have not shared an official statement on what could have been discovered. To date, the Metropolitan Police has spent more than £ 13million on Madeleine's case, dubbed Operation Grange
ITV News
05-06-2025
- ITV News
What happened to Madeleine McCann? A timeline of events since her disappearance
More than 18 years after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann while on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, police have begun new searches close to where she was last seen. Police are focusing on an area between Praia da Luz, and the house where Christian Brueckner lived - the case's main and only suspect. In June 2020 German authorities said they believed Christian Brueckner was the man 'responsible' for Madeleine's kidnap and murder. He remains under investigation, and is currently in prison serving a sentence for rape. He has not been charged and denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. Despite numerous appeals, millions of pounds in public donations and the backing of high-profile celebrities, Madeleine has not been found. Here is a timeline of the main developments in the years since Madeleine vanished. 2007 – May 3: Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, leave their children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant. Nothing is amiss when Mr McCann checks on the youngsters just after 9pm, but when his wife goes back at about 10pm she finds Madeleine missing. Jane Tanner, one of the friends dining with the McCanns, reports having seen a man carrying a child earlier that night. – May 14: Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese property developer Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an 'arguido', or formal suspect – but this is later withdrawn. – August 11: Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead. – September 7: During questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both 'arguidos' in their daughter's disappearance – but this is also later withdrawn. – September 9: The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. 2008 – July 21: The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the 'arguido' status of the McCanns and Robert Murat. 2011 – May 12: Mrs McCann publishes a book about her daughter's disappearance, on Madeleine's eighth birthday. Scotland Yard launches a review of the case after a request from home secretary Theresa May, supported by prime minister David Cameron. 2012 – April 25: Scotland Yard detectives say they believe Madeleine could still be alive, release an age-progression picture of how she might look as a nine-year-old, and call on the Portuguese authorities to reopen the case, but Portuguese police say they have found no new material. 2013 – July 4: Scotland Yard confirms it has launched its own investigation, Operation Grange, into Madeleine's disappearance two years into a review of the case. It has 'genuinely new' lines of inquiry and has identified 38 people of interest, including 12 Britons. – October 24: Portuguese police confirm that a review of their original investigation has uncovered new lines of inquiry, and they reopen the case. 2014 – January 29: British detectives fly to Portugal amid claims they are planning to make arrests. – June 3: Sniffer dogs and specialist teams are used to search an area of scrubland close to where Madeleine went missing. – December 12: Detectives begin questioning 11 people who it is thought may have information on the case. 2015 – September 16: The government discloses that the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine has cost more than £10 million. – October 28: Scotland Yard cuts the number of officers working on the inquiry from 29 to four. 2017 – April 30: The McCanns prepare to mark 10 years since their daughter's disappearance with a BBC interview in which they vow to do 'whatever it takes for as long as it takes' to find her. 2019 – May 3: Local media reports say Portuguese detectives are investigating a foreign paedophile as a suspect in the abduction of Madeleine. Mary Nightingale on the resolve of Gerry and Kate McCann 2020 – June 3: Police reveal a German prisoner has been identified as a suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. – June 4: Scotland Yard's Operation Grange, which had received £12.3 million in funding up to April 2020, is still a missing person inquiry as detectives have no 'definitive evidence whether Madeleine is alive or dead'. 2021 – May 4: Kate and Gerry McCann post a statement on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign website saying they still cling to the hope of seeing their daughter again as they prepare to mark her 18th birthday on May 12. 2022 – April 21: Portuguese authorities declare a formal suspect. 2023 - May 22: German authorities request access to the Arade Dam, 50km from the place where Madeliene went missing. Teams from Portugal, Germany and the UK take part, with police divers spotted at the site. - October 30: Portuguese police apologise to Kate and Gerry McCann about their handling of the case and how the family was treated. 2024 - February 16: Christian Brueckner seen in public for the first time since being linked to the McCann case, on trial for five separate sex attacks in Portugal. - May 2: Home Office grants a further £192,000 towards the investigation - October 8: Brueckner is acquitted of the five charges. 2025 - April 22: Julia Wandel, a 23-year-old Polish woman, pleads not guilty to stalking Madeleine McCan's parents and siblings. - June 3: Renewed searches for Madeleine begin, focusing on a location between a house where Brueckner lived and where the toddler was last seen.
