Latest news with #FindMadeleine
BreakingNews.ie
04-06-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Madeleine McCann: Search teams scour scrubland and abandoned buildings
Investigators are continuing to scour scrubland and abandoned buildings in the second day of the latest searches for missing Madeleine McCann. Teams of German and Portuguese police officers, as well as firefighters, face the daunting task of hunting for evidence 18 years on from the disappearance of the British three-year-old in 2007. Advertisement This week's operation is focusing on a sparsely developed area of land around 3.5 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine was last seen while on holiday with her parents and siblings. She vanished after she was left sleeping in a room with her toddler twin brother and sister while her parents went for dinner with friends in a nearby restaurant. Kate and Gerry McCann are not commenting during the 'active police investigation', staff at the Find Madeleine Campaign said. Scrubland was cleared next to a derelict and abandoned property as part of the search operation. Photo: James Manning/PA On Wednesday, officers were seen clearing vegetation around abandoned buildings, wearing protective gear such as hard hats and face masks, and a digger was used to move rubble. Advertisement The area where they are working is an area of fields and scrubland between a main road and the sea, with a few buildings including a vineyard. Search teams use a digger during the painstaking operation. Photo: James Manning/PA 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. 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. Advertisement Tents have been put up for the officers to use during the search activity. Photo: James Manning/PA 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. About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search alongside Portuguese officers. The operation 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. Advertisement Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. 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.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Madeleine McCann Case: Authorities Renew Search 18 Years Later
Originally appeared on E! Online The search for Madeleine McCann is back on. Almost 20 years after McCann disappeared from a resort in Lagos, Portugal, at age 3, authorities in the country have reignited the search at the request of German authorities who are investigating Christian Brueckner—a convicted rapist they suspect of killing McCann, though he has not been formally charged. (Brueckner has denied any involvement in her disappearance.) According to the Associated Press, citing a Portuguese police statement, detectives will carry out 'a broad range' of searches this week near Lagos. On June 3, per NBC News, several police vehicles were seen driving down a dirt road near where McCann disappeared, with about 25 German investigators with them. The new search is expected to last until Friday, June 6, per the outlet. Near the area that is being searched is, per NBC News, a dwelling where Brueckner lived at the time. The area is reportedly also home to many ditches and wells. More from E! Online Ellen Pompeo Detained for Hour by TSA and Bomb Squad Over Erewhon Sunflower Seeds Weston Gosa's Stepmom Details Final Moments Before 16 and Pregnant Alum's Sudden Death Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Daughter Shiloh Debuts New Name Brueckner was named as a suspect in McCann's disappearance in 2020 by police, though at the time German media only identified him as 'Christian B.,' per the BBC. (He would later be declared an official suspect in 2022.) At the time, McCann's parents Kate McCann and Gerry McCann—who have forever maintained innocence in their daughter's disappearance—expressed their gratitude to police. 'All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice,' they shared at the time, per the BBC. "We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace." Five years later, this past May, it was announced Brueckner will be released from the German prison where he's been serving time for his conviction of raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal in 2005. He is scheduled to go free in September after being acquitted last year of five other sex offense charges, according to BBC News. Prosecutors have appealed the decision. Over the years, McCann's parents have been candid about their ongoing hope for answers, no matter that the results may be, as they seek to keep their late daughter close. "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," they wrote on their Find Madeleine website May 3, the 18th anniversary of her disappearance. "We will do our utmost to achieve this." They added, noting May also would have marked McCann's 22nd birthday, 'No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us, every day, but especially on her special day. We continue to 'celebrate' her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her." (E! News and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Perth Now
04-05-2025
- Perth Now
Madeleine McCann's family marks the 18th anniversary of her disappearance
Madeleine McCann's family has marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance by remembering her as a 'very beautiful and unique person' ahead of what would be her 22nd birthday. Madeleine was three when she vanished while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. '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,' a statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said. On May 12, Madeleine would be turning 22. 'We continue to celebrate her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her.' The statement, posted on the Find Madeleine website, thanked supporters 'for standing by us and never forgetting about Madeleine'. The family expressed gratitude to the UK charity Missing People for their ongoing, invaluable work. In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 ($A205,926) in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance. Madeleine was three when she vanished while her parents went to dinner with friends, leaving their three young children asleep in their holiday apartment. Prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in the Praia da Luz in 2005, has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
7NEWS
03-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Madeleine McCann's family marks the 18th anniversary of her disappearance
Madeleine McCann 's family has marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance by remembering her as a 'very beautiful and unique person' ahead of what would be her 22nd birthday. Madeleine was three when she vanished while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering,' a statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said. On May 12, Madeleine would be turning 22. 'We continue to celebrate her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her.' The statement, posted on the Find Madeleine website, thanked supporters 'for standing by us and never forgetting about Madeleine'. The family expressed gratitude to the UK charity Missing People for their ongoing, invaluable work. In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 ($A205,926) in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance. Madeleine was three when she vanished while her parents went to dinner with friends, leaving their three young children asleep in their holiday apartment. Prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in the Praia da Luz in 2005, has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
Daily Record
03-05-2025
- Daily Record
Madeleine McCann family mark 18th anniversary of disappearance ahead of 22nd birthday
Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. Madeleine McCann 's family has marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance by remembering her as a 'very beautiful and unique person' ahead of what would be her 22nd birthday. Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family released a joint statement 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.' On May 12, Madeleine would be turning 22 and the family delivered the heartbreaking message. They said: 'No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us, every day, but especially on her special day. 'We continue to 'celebrate' her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her.' The statement, posted on the Find Madeleine website, thanked supporters 'for standing by us and never forgetting about Madeleine'. It added: 'We're very grateful to the UK charity Missing People for their ongoing, invaluable work, and to all organisations, charities and police forces who remain committed, despite many challenges and limited resources, to finding and bringing home the many missing and abducted children.' Ahead of International Missing Children's Day on May 25, the McCanns said: 'We continue to remember all missing children and their families, both here in the UK and abroad, thinking especially of all the children displaced from their homes & families in Ukraine and Gaza at this time.' In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance. Madeleine was three when she vanished while her parents went to dinner with friends, leaving their three young children asleep in their holiday apartment. Gerry and Kate McCann had left her in bed with her twin siblings while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant in Praia da Luz when the then three-year-old disappeared at around 10pm on May 3. More than £13m has been spent by the Metropolitan police investigating the case. Prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in the Praia da Luz in 2005, has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. Brueckner was acquitted of unrelated rape and child sex assault charges last October. He will not face any charges in relation to the missing youngster anytime soon - and will be released from prison, prosecutors have said. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
