Latest news with #InsidetheSecretEvidence
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Madeleine McCann cops probe samples of ‘clothes & bones found in new Praia da Luz dig' for links to suspect Brueckner
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MADELEINE McCann cops have sent samples from their crunch search in Portugal for testing, reports in Germany claim. The three-day search had widely been labeled a flop after police appeared to leave the site next to Praia da Luz empty-handed last week. 6 Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in Portugal Credit: PA 6 Christian Brueckner is believed to be the lead suspect in the girl's disappearance Credit: Dan Charity 6 Officials recently went on a renewed search for DNA evidence in Portugal Credit: Dan Charity But eagle-eyed police did find tiny fragments, which they are speculating could have links to Maddie after prime suspect Christian Brueckner, 38, wild camped at the site. The samples have now been sent to Germany for testing amid hopes they could finally reveal the forensic link cops are missing on the case. Cops are understood to have found clothes and animal bones during the extensive search through an area known as Brueckner's "rat run". Without evidence pinning it to the convicted German rapist, prosecutors risk not being able to get the arrest warrant they need to keep Brueckner behind bars. The claims were made in the Berlin Morning Post. A source said: 'Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory. 'As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things. 'The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance but that is clearly their hope.' The search took place around an area of scrubland which is located close to where the British toddler was staying with her parents back in 2007. The little girl was aged just three when she vanished and has never been found since despite extensive searches. Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner gloats cops 'will NEVER pin case on me without a body' in sickening letter German and Portuguese police used JCB-type machines and ground-penetrating radar but found "nothing of consequence". Animal bones and adult clothing were the only things unearthed - but no traces could be linked to Maddie. It is still unclear if these are the same items being tested now. This quickly dashed hopes of pinning Brueckner with fresh DNA evidence until the latest developments today. It comes as The Sun uncovered new Maddie evidence in a bombshell documentary. The world exclusive doc lifts the lid on gripping new information and reveals why Brueckner is the prime suspect. Our compelling investigation unveils the horrors found at his abandoned factory lair - and his obsession with small children. Madeleine McCann: Inside the Secret Evidence is now available to watch online for free on our YouTube page. The dossier of overwhelming circumstantial evidence includes exclusive images of kids' swimming costumes, a toddler bike and toys found at his property. We also reveal how cops found a mask, guns and child kidnap stories where Brueckner describes using kidnap chemical ether to take a mum and tot outside a preschool. 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 Irish holiday rep Hazel Behan, 41, who Brueckner was cleared of raping in 2005 at trial in 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. 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 insisted his innocence in letters while his lawyers continue to maintain he had nothing to do with the taking or killing of Maddie. TIMELINE OF EVENTS HERE'S a timeline of the case which has gripped the world. May 3, 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history. January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search. 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, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. 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 Madeleine is dead. German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner). 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 Brueckner was acquitted of all claims. Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. September 17, 2025 Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken. Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case. 6 Maddie has now been missing for 18 years Credit: AFP 6 The search last week was focused on a handful of derelict buildings Credit: Dan Charity
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- 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.
