New search for Madeline McCann underway in Portugal
Police in Portugal are conducting a new search for missing toddler Madeline McCann near the resort where she disappeared in 2007 while on holiday with her family.
Portuguese officers say they are carrying out a European investigation order from German authorities, and will use radar equipment to scan beneath the ground at a number of locations close to the resort of Praia de Luz where the McCann family were holidaying with friends when Madeleine went missing. Pic: PA Wire
Police in Britain say they will not be taking part in this new investigation but will 'support our International colleagues where necessary'
More than 20 plots of land are marked out to be searched using radar equipment this week.
German police last searched an area close to Praia de Luz in 2023 but nothing was found.
A German man, Christian Brueckner, is currently the only person of interest in the case, suspected of being involved in Madeleine's disappearance. Christian Brueckner. Pic: REX/Shutterstock
He is currently in prison serving a sentence for the rape of an elderly American woman in Praia de Luz in 2005.
He has always denied any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine and has not been charged or indicted in the case.
Last month Maddies parents, Kate and Gerry McCann marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance and vowed they would keep searching for their daughter, 'No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us every day' they said. (Photo by)
Madeline, who was just 3 years old when she disappeared from the family's holiday apartment during the night, while her parents had dinner with friends in a nearby restaurant, would be 22 years old this year.
Her family have vowed to continue to 'celebrate her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her'
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Mystery over Maddie McCann suspect Christian Bruecker after ‘huge sum he spent after she disappeared' is revealed
THE man suspected of killing three-year-old Madeleine McCann is said to have spent £45,000 in the year after she vanished. 2 Christian Brueckner is said to have spent £45,000 in the year after Madeleine McCann vanished Credit: Dan Charity 2 Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in Portugal Credit: PA A land registration document shows that by 2008 he paid £19,000 for a former box factory in east Germany. Another document reveals he upgraded his van to a And it has previously been reported he had his buck teeth fixed for £6,000 in September 2007. Read More on World News A Praia local who knew A source close to the case in Germany, added: 'He admits dealing drugs in one breath - then claims he is innocent of all claims in another. 'If you look at his spending it is impossible to see where the money came from without linking it to crime. 'Whatever he was up to, he must have had a serious influx of cash before 2008 when his spending was unprecedented.' Most read in The Sun Brueckner is in a German jail for rape and is due for release in September. He has never been formally charged over Madeleine McCann cops call off search as trawl of Brueckner's 'rat run' turns up nothing A three-day
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Explosive Sun Madeleine McCann doc reveals bombshell new evidence and why Christian Brueckner is prime suspect
EXPLOSIVE new Madeleine McCann evidence can finally be revealed in a bombshell documentary. The Sun's world exclusive doc lifts the lid on gripping new information and reveals why 6 Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007 Credit: AFP 6 Christian Brueckner, prime suspect in the case, is in jail in Germany but due to be released in September Credit: Dan Charity 6 The recent search for DNA evidence failed to turn up any clues Credit: Dan Charity Our compelling investigation unveils the horrors found at his abandoned factory lair - and his The dossier of overwhelming circumstantial evidence includes exclusive images of We also reveal how cops found a mask, guns and child kidnap stories where read more on the documentary Our film reveals the existence of an And it also placed Breuckner at the key Maddie search location of the Arades Dam, in Portugal. A document puts the suspect at the location where he allegedly confessed by supposedly saying ' We also reveal sick child kidnap stories where Breuckner wrote: 'A very small girl enters the room. She's definitely not older than five. Most read in The Sun '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." Madeleine McCann cops call off search as trawl of Brueckner's 'rat run' turns up nothing Online messages we uncovered from Brueckner He even threatened it wouldn't matter 'if the evidence is destroyed afterwards' and gleefully added: 'I'll make a lot of films... hehe.' Our documentary on the police files represents the biggest leap forwards in understanding of the case since German police revealed Brueckner as a suspect in 2020. It contains an interview with Germany last year. Hear from experts at The Sun and in Germany about the ongoing race against time to stop dangerous Brueckner being released in as little as three months. 6 A hidden hard drive with photos taken in Portugal convinced police Madeleine died soon after vanishing 6 Cops found 75 youngsters' swimming costumes at childless Brueckner's bolthole in Neuwegersleben Credit: Dan Charity 6 Children's toys and bikes were found at the suspect's lair Credit: Dan Charity And learn more about fears he could potentially take hopes for the McCann case to ground with him. Christian Brueckner refuses to answer police questions or provide an alibi, but has never been formally charged over the disappearance of murder of Madeleine McCann. He has German and Portuguese police used JCB-type machines and ground-penetrating radar, but found "nothing of consequence" - dashing hopes of pinning Brueckner with DNA evidence. TIMELINE OF EVENTS Here's a timeline of the case which has gripped the world. May 3, 2007 January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing February 16, 2016 Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop. He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then. May 3, 2017 Around this time, He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner. September 27, 2018 On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy. He is extradited to Germany the following year. December 16, 2019 Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars. June 4, 2020 German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim German media later name him as June 23, 2023 In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying 'she didn't scream' as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain. February 16, 2024 Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges. October 8, 2024 Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. September 17, 2025 Date on which Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- 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".
