Searches for Madeleine McCann to continue in Portugal
Searches for Madeleine McCann are to resume in Portugal, near where the little girl was last seen in 2007.
On Tuesday, fresh searches for Madeleine began, as teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings in countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz.
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Madeleine, then aged three, vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort, after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings.
Search teams look through a derelict and abandoned property to the west of Praia da Luz (James Manning/PA)
German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters took part in the searches on Tuesday, as teams used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose.
About a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks.
Teams dug, shifted rocks and cleared scrub as the work continued on Tuesday (James Manning/PA)
The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground.
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It has been variously reported that teams will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land.
A Portuguese police van driving down a lane near where a search is taking place (Joao Matos/AP)
The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought.
In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
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(PA Graphics)
About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search, with Portuguese officers, which is expected to last until Friday.
The Metropolitan Police said they were aware of the operation but that British officers will not be present.
German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.
Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal in 2007 (Family handout/PA)
Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.
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It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it, after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there.
British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014.
Last month Madeleine's family, who are from Rothley in Leicestershire, marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as 'beautiful and unique', before her 22nd birthday, and vowed to continue the search.
(PA Graphics)
A statement from her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and the family, said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.'
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In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance.
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Wales Online
an hour ago
- 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 Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Portuguese police brand search for Madeleine McCann a 'waste of time' as sources claim three-day operation in Portugal turned up 'nothing'
The head of the German force leading the fresh searches for Madeleine McCann told a friend who wished him luck: 'Thanks, we need it.' Rainer Grimm, boss of the BKA, Germany 's equivalent of the FBI, is in Portugal overseeing the search which ended yesterday. His apparent lack of confidence in the operation to his pal echoed what many have seen as the 'last throw of the dice' for investigators looking to solve the 18-year riddle. But sources close to the investigation said that 'only animal bones and bits of old adult clothing' have been found in the estimated £300,000 operation. One officer told MailOnline: 'We always knew it was going to be a waste of time but we have to show cooperation. 'What did they expect to find after 18 years? We were happy to work with them but we knew it would be a waste of time.' The head of the German force leading the fresh searches for Madeleine McCann (pictured) told a friend who wished him luck: 'Thanks, we need it' Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner, 48, has been identified by German prosecutors as the man behind Madeleine's 'abduction and murder'. He was sensationally named by German authorities in June 2020 as the man responsible for Madeleine's abduction and murder, but he has not been charged – and the sands of time are running out. Brueckner, who has vehemently denied the allegations, is currently serving a seven-year sentence for a separate rape case and is due for release in September and has already vowed to leave Germany. As a result, it means prosecutors will have trouble bringing him to court should they charge him in connection with Madeleine's disappearance. His earliest possible release date is September 17 however that is unlikely as he will have to pay 1500 euro in outstanding fines from a series of motor offences to do so. But his legal team say he is broke and so a release date of January 6 looks more likely. Brueckner's lawyer Philipp Marquort told MailOnline:'I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet about the searches and I am not going to comment on what has been happening in Portugal. 'What I will say is that I don't think he will be coming out in September as he doesn't have any money to pay the fines because it went on his legal fees, so I can't see him leaving prison until early next year. 'He will probably see the news on the TV in his cell and he will talk about it when he calls me next time but I still do think when he is freed he will leave Germany.' Last October he was cleared of a series of unrelated sex attacks that took place in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017. Two years ago police also searched a dam close by for evidence but after a week-long operation nothing was found. Brueckner continues to deny any involvement with Madeleine's disappearance. Details of Mr Grimm's downbeat message came as the operation at Atalaia near Praia da Luz was brought to a close after three days. Permission had been given to search the derelict outbuildings on the scrubland close to where Brueckner used to live and where he previously to park his campervan until Friday Meanwhile locals expressed exasperation at the eyes of the world once again being on Praia da Luz with one business owner telling MailOnline: 'What on earth do they expect to find after 18 years ? 'It's been such a long time, of course everyone sympathies with the parents but it's gone on for too long now and to be honest no one here is convinced this German guy did it.' The German police team will fly back on a military plane due to pick them up today and which will also carry two vans brought with them. German officials said they would update the media on Friday or Monday if they had anything significant to say but the feeling was one of disappointment.
Powys County Times
10 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Madeleine McCann suspect ‘told police decisive questions can never be answered'
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? '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.
