A forensics expert has warned that “traditional” evidence will be difficult to find after 16 years have passed since Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.
Dan Matthews said that investigators would have searched the remote reservoir in Portugal for “things that could’ve stood the test of time and not been destroyed by its passage”, such as clothing fragments or jewellry.
It comes after police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine say they have recovered a number of items from their recent search.
German authorities last week helped Portuguese crews comb a remote area inland from the Algarve coastal resort where Madeleine went missing from her bedroom during a family holiday in 2007.
Prosecutors said they would evaluate the undisclosed items in the coming days and weeks.
“Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed,” the prosecutor’s statement read.
Meanwhile, investigators are set to widen the search for Madeleine after photos belonging to prime suspect Christian Brueckner revealed ‘clues’.
Key Points
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Kate and Gerry forced to wait ‘weeks’ for reservoir search results
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‘The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t’
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‘Relevant clue’ found in search of reservoir
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How the search was completed
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Key suspect Christian Brueckner visited reservoir ‘days after disappearance’
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Portugal police give update as search of reservoir closes to an end
Prosecutors say items secured in Madeleine McCann search to be examined
Thursday 1 June 2023 09:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
German prosecutors said on Thursday authorities had secured some items during a search of a reservoir in Portugal in the 16-year-old hunt for missing British girl Madeleine McCann which would be evaluated in coming days and weeks.
“Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed,” the prosecutor’s statement read.
German authorities, who have named a suspect in the case, last week helped Portuguese crews comb the remote area inland from the Algarve coastal resort where McCann – then aged three – went missing from her bedroom during a family holiday in 2007.
McCann family’s ‘new normality’ living without daughter
17:00 , Martha Mchardy
Reflecting on the importance of the twins in keeping their family unit together in a 2017 interview with the BBC’s Fiona Bruce, Gerry McCann said the ordeal had forced them to face “a new normality” in living without their daughter.
Kate McCann added: “What people do say is that you don’t realise how strong you are until you have no option.
“And I think that’s very true. Obviously massive events like this cause a lot of reaction, a lot of trauma and upset.
“But ultimately you have to keep going – and especially when you have got other children involved.
“Some of that is subconscious I think – your mind and body just take over to a certain extent. But if you can’t change something immediately, you have to go with it and do the best that you can.”
The couple also addressed the online abuse they have received, commenting: “I’m sure it is a very small minority of people who spend their time doing it, but it has totally inhibited what we do.
“Personally, we don’t use social media, although we have used it in Madeleine’s campaign.
“But for our twins who are growing up in an era where mobile technology is used all the time, we don’t want them not to be able to use it in the same way that their peers do.”
Ms McCann described the actions of some online commentators as shocking but said she preferred to focus on the support many more members of the public had offered the family.
‘The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t,’ says Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner
16:00 , Martha Mchardy
A suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has claimed he “didn’t” abduct and murder the girl, MailOnline has reported.
In a series of letters, Christian Brueckner – a convicted German rapist – is reportedly saying “I am not a monster” and claiming that he had nothing to do with the abduction or murder of then three-year-old Madeleine McCann.
“The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t”, he wrote in the neatly written letters, according to MailOnline.
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters revealed
15:00 , Martha Mchardy
Letters written by the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, in which he protests his innocence and tries to claim he had nothing to do with her disappearance, have been revealed for the first time.
“You can never imagine how it is when the whole world believes you are a child murderer, and you are not,” he wrote in the string of neatly written letters unveiled by MailOnline.
According to MailOnline, he goes on to say there is no evidence linking him to the case.
“I got told a long time ago that the prosecuter’s office was closing the Maddie case because there is not even the smallest evidence. There will never be a trial,” he wrote.
“The prosecutors are not saying anything to the public because they must give the files to my lawyers – and they contain many (sic) material which confirms my innocence.”
In another one of his letters, written from jail in Germany, he reportedly sketched a long, dark corridor of a prison wing and claimed police and prosecuters are “attempting to create a monster”.
Brueckner then writes about the psychological toll of the case. “The torture I’m going through is the best evidence I can have,” he reportedly wrote.
In his latest letter, he signed off saying: “I’m writing this without self-pity and my self-confidence and self-control was never at a higher level. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Chin up! Better days are coming.”
Tara Cobham reports:
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters
How Madeleine McCann search at reservoir unfolded – and what police found
14:00 , Martha Mchardy
The long-running hunt for missing Madeleine McCann returned to the headlines last week during a three-day search of a Portuguese reservoir.
Police combed the remote Barragem do Arade in response to what was vaguely described as “certain tips” about an area the prime suspect in the case, Christian Brueckner, regularly frequented between 2000 and 2017.
Although police are remaining tight-lipped about the details, they said they recovered “a number of items” from the scene, which will now be evaluated in the coming days in the hope of shedding light on the ongoing mystery surrounding Madeleine’s disappearance from an Algarve holiday resort on 3 May 2007.
Hans Christian Wolters, prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, said: “Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed.”
Earlier this week, officers said “materials collected” during the search had already been sent on to Germany for analysis.
Jane Dalton and Joe Sommerlad report:
How Madeleine McCann search at reservoir unfolded and what police found
ICYMI: Police issue update on Madeleine McCann search
13:00 , Martha Mchardy
Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann say they have recovered a number of items from their recent search of a reservoir in Portugal.
German authorities last week helped Portuguese crews comb a remote area inland from the Algarve coastal resort where Madeleine went missing from her bedroom during a family holiday in 2007.
Prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, Christian Wolters, said the individual items seized as part of searches would be evaluated over the coming days and weeks.
“Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed,” the prosecutor’s statement read.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:
Madeleine McCann police confirm ‘number of items’ recovered from reservoir search
ICYMI: Read the statement Madeleine McCann’s parents issued 16 years after her disappearance
12:00 , Martha Mchardy
In May, in a short statement on the official Find Madeleine Campaign website, Kate and Gerry McCann said: “Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction. Still missing… still very much missed.
“It is hard to find the words to convey how we feel.
“The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps.”
Matthew Cooper reports:
Madeleine McCann’s parents issue statement 16 years after her disappearance
ICYMI: Madeleine Mccann Campaign Shares Video On 16th Anniversary Of Child Going Missing
11:00 , Martha Mchardy
What other cases has Christian Brueckner been linked to?
10:00 , Martha Mchardy
Christian Brueckner has also been linked to other disappearances of children, including a boy, six, in Portugal in 2000, a five-year-old girl in Germany in 2015 and a number of others.
In 2020, he was being investigated over the rape and murder of Tristan Brübach, a 15-year-old boy from Germany.
Belgian authorities have also linked him to the murder of teenager Carola Titze, 16. She went missing while on holiday in De Haan, Belgium on July 5, 1996 and her body was discovered among sand dunes severely mutilated on July 11.
Other cases believed to be linked to Brueckner include that of Inga Gehrike who went missing from Saxony-Anhalt in Germany on May 2, 2015, René Hasee, six, who vanished while on a family holiday in Aljezur, Portugal on June 21, 1996 and Jair Soares who disappeared in August 1995.
Peggy Knobloch’s case has also been linked to Brueckner after she went missing in May 2001.
Lucy Skoulding reports:
All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him
Watch: Police leave holes two feet deep in Madeleine McCann reservoir search
09:00 , Martha Mchardy
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
07:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann in an area close to the desolate reservoir in Portugal searched by police earlier this week.
The retired pair say they discovered a makeshift memorial, consisting of a photograph of the missing toddler surrounded by flowers and stones, at Christmas in 2007. The three year-old had vanished from a holiday resort in Portugal in May that year.
The husband and wife, named only as Ralf and Ann, say they took photographs of it and sent them to Portuguese detectives but never heard anything back. Just days later, the ‘shrine’ had disappeared, they claim.
UK couple claim to have ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at reservoir police searched
Thursday 1 June 2023 23:15 , Natalie Crockett
We’re pausing our live coverage for the evening but will bring you the latest updates when we have them.
What are the accusations against Christian Brueckner?
Thursday 1 June 2023 22:15 , Martha Mchardy
Christian Brueckner was declared a prime suspect in the case of the disappearance of Madeleine by Portuguese police in April 2022.
Already in prison in Germany for the rape and murder of a 72-year-old woman, he has now also been charged with multiple sex offences which are alleged to have taken place between 2000 and 2007.
Police in Germany claim to have “concrete evidence” that the British girl is dead though this has not been proven.
A spokesperson from the Braunschweig prosecutor’s office previously said: “The accused is the same person against whom charges were brought in connection with the disappearance of the then three-year-old British girl Madeleine Beth McCann.
“Specifically, the accused is charged with three offences of aggravated rape and two offences of sexual abuse of children.
“The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann continues.”
The charges mentioned do not relate to the McCann case. But in May German police claim to have found new evidence linked to Madeleine inside a van belonging to Brueckner.
Who is Christian Brueckner?
Thursday 1 June 2023 21:15 , Martha Mchardy
Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in the summer of 2007 when the then-three-year-old went missing.
His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly identified as having been near to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal where the young girl went missing on May 3, 2007.
In April 2022, Brueckner was jailed in Germany for the rape and murder of a 72-year-old woman in the same resort – Praia da Luz – as where Madeleine went missing.
Police in Germany, who are treating the case as a murder enquiry, believe Brueckner planned to rob the holiday apartment but “moved on to a sexual motive”.
It is believed he has a total of 17 convictions including burglary as he steals from hotels and holiday let apartments.
Brueckner is a prolific burglar and has been previously convicted for sex crimes against young girls.
He was born in Germany in 1976 and moved to Portugal in his late teens.
It is believed he lived there between 1995 and 2007 working in the food industry.
Brueckner is described as being about 6ft tall, slim and white with short blond hair.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Thursday 1 June 2023 20:15 , Martha Mchardy
The fresh search at the reservoir – one of six in the Algarve – is the first in Portugal since 2014, and comes as the Metropolitan Police were granted a further £110,000 by the Home Office to fund their search for Madeleine, who would turn 20 this month.
It brings the total amount spent on the search for the Leicestershire-born girl, codenamed Operation Grange, to just shy of £13.1m since 2011, and is significantly less than the more than £300,000 approved by the Home Office the year prior.
While the costs incurred by German and Portuguese authorities are unknown, Lisbon’s then-attorney general Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro said in 2012 that the search for Madeleine had been the most expensive in the country’s history.
Andy Gregory reports:
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann police confirm ‘number of items’ recovered from Algarve reservoir search
Thursday 1 June 2023 19:15 , Martha Mchardy
Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann say they have recovered a number of items from their recent search of a reservoir in Portugal.
Prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, Christian Wolters, said the individual items seized as part of searches would be evaluated over the coming days and weeks.
“Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed,” the prosecutor’s statement read.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:
Madeleine McCann police confirm ‘number of items’ recovered from reservoir search
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
Thursday 1 June 2023 18:15 , Martha Mchardy
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann in an area close to the desolate reservoir in Portugal searched by police earlier this week.
The retired pair say they discovered a makeshift memorial, consisting of a photograph of the missing toddler surrounded by flowers and stones, at Christmas in 2007. The three year-old had vanished from a holiday resort in Portugal in May that year.
The husband and wife, named only as Ralf and Ann, say they took photographs of it and sent them to Portuguese detectives but never heard anything back. Just days later, the ‘shrine’ had disappeared, they claim.
Joe Middleton reports:
UK couple claim to have ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at reservoir police searched
Why is prime suspect Christian Brueckner in prison in Germany?
Thursday 1 June 2023 17:15 , Martha Mchardy
In April 2022, Brueckner was jailed in Germany for the rape and murder of a 72-year-old woman in the same resort – Praia da Luz – as where Madeleine went missing.
Police in Germany, who are treating the case as a murder enquiry, believe Brueckner planned to rob the holiday apartment but “moved on to a sexual motive”.
It is believed he has a total of 17 convictions including burglary as he steals from hotels and holiday let apartments.
Who are Madeleine McCann’s siblings Amelia and Sean McCann?
Thursday 1 June 2023 16:15 , Martha Mchardy
Out of respect for their privacy, especially given their ages, Madeleine’s younger siblings have largely been shielded from the glare of the spotlight.
However, Amelie McCann, now 18, did join her parents in remembering her missing sister on the 16th anniversary of her disappearance on 7 May 2023.
Speaking publicly for the first time at a prayer meeting in Rothley, she said: “It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion.”
Ms McCann reportedly joined in with chants including “Never never give up”, “leave no stone unturned”, “don’t forget about me” and “still missing, still missed”.
Her parents were among the 70-strong crowd in attendance but her brother Sean was not, preferring to remain off stage.
Rob Gladstone, leading prayers at the event, told his audience: “We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will.
“We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time.”
Reflecting on the importance of the twins in keeping their family unit together in a 2017 interview with the BBC’s Fiona Bruce, Gerry McCann said the ordeal had forced them to face “a new normality” in living without their daughter.
Kate McCann added: “What people do say is that you don’t realise how strong you are until you have no option.
“And I think that’s very true. Obviously massive events like this cause a lot of reaction, a lot of trauma and upset. But ultimately you have to keep going – and especially when you have got other children involved.
“Some of that is subconscious I think – your mind and body just take over to a certain extent. But if you can’t change something immediately, you have to go with it and do the best that you can.”
The couple also addressed the online abuse they have received, commenting: “I’m sure it is a very small minority of people who spend their time doing it, but it has totally inhibited what we do.
“Personally, we don’t use social media, although we have used it in Madeleine’s campaign.
“But for our twins who are growing up in an era where mobile technology is used all the time, we don’t want them not to be able to use it in the same way that their peers do.”
Who are Madeleine McCann’s parent Kate and Gerry McCann?
Thursday 1 June 2023 15:15 , Martha Mchardy
Madeline’s mother was born Kate Marie Healy in Huyton near Liverpool in 1968.
After attending All Saints School in Anfield and Notre Dame High School in Everton Valley, she took a degree in medicine from the University of Dundee and graduated in 1992. Beginning her career by specialising in obstetrics, gynaecology and anaesthetics, she subsequently became a GP.
She met her future husband Gerald Patrick McCann in 1993 and they married in 1998. Madeleine, their eldest child, was born in 2003 and the couple had twins, Amelia and Sean, in 2005.
Mr McCann was born in Glasgow in 1968 and attended Holyrood RC Secondary School before graduating from the University of Glasgow with a bachelor of science degree in physiology and sports science in 1989.
He obtained his medical doctorate from the same institution in 2002 and has worked as a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, since 2005, with the family setting up home in Rothley, Leicestershire.
Items seized in Madeleine McCann search ‘cannot yet be linked’ to disappearance
Thursday 1 June 2023 14:11 , Martha Mchardy
German prosecutors have said items seized as part of fresh searches for evidence in the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be linked with the investigation into her disappearance.
A large section of the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal was cordoned off last week, about 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in 2007.
Police flattened a specific area of woodland and dug a number of holes near the remote reservoir as part of the three-day hunt for evidence.
Prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, Christian Wolters, said the individual items seized as part of searches would be evaluated over the coming days and weeks.
Read the full story:
Items seized in Madeleine McCann search ‘cannot yet be linked’ to disappearance
Footage from end of Portugal search
Thursday 1 June 2023 13:35 , Sam Rkaina
Reservoir search sparked by “certain tips”
Thursday 1 June 2023 13:00 , Sam Rkaina
Police were given the go-ahead to search the area after German prosecutors received “certain tips” about the case.
The operation was carried out at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, kidnapped and murdered the youngster.
He is in prison in Germany for the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, and is suspected of further rapes and child sexual abuse committed in the area between 2000 and 2017.
He has reportedly denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
Madeleine was three when she vanished while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz, after they left her and her younger twin siblings asleep in their apartment while they went out to dinner with friends.
Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia previously claimed that criminal contacts had told him that Madeleine’s body was in the reservoir, and in 2008 he raised funds for unsuccessful private searches of the water.
The new searches came as the Home Office granted an extra £110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over £300,000 last year.
The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under £13.1 million since 2011.
How Madeleine McCann search at reservoir unfolded
Thursday 1 June 2023 12:01 , Sam Rkaina
The long-running hunt for missing Madeleine McCann returned to headlines last week, during a three-day search of a Portuguese reservoir.
Acting on tip-offs, police searched the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal last week, an area that prime suspect Christian Brueckner frequented from 2000 to 2017.
Although police are remaining tight-lipped about the details they did confirm “materials collected” had been sent to Germany for analysis in the ongoing mystery of Madeleine’s disappearance on 3 May 2007.
And a “relevant clue” was found during the police operation in the Algarve last week, Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported.
Click here to read about how the search unfolded.
Prosecutor praises co-operation between German, British and Portuguese authorities on search
Thursday 1 June 2023 11:01 , Sam Rkaina
German prosecutors have said items seized as part of fresh searches for evidence in the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be linked with the investigation into her disappearance.
A large section of the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal was cordoned off last week, about 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in 2007.
Police flattened a specific area of woodland and dug a number of holes near the remote reservoir as part of the three-day hunt for evidence.
Prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, Christian Wolters, said the individual items seized as part of searches would be evaluated over the coming days and weeks.
In a short statement, Mr Wolters said the investigation into 46-year-old suspect Christian Brueckner is expected to continue for a long time.
He said the co-operation between German, British and Portuguese authorities went “excellently and very constructively”.
Madeleine McCann police confirm ‘number of items’ recovered from Algarve reservoir search
Thursday 1 June 2023 09:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police investigating the disappearance of McCann police say they have recovered a number of items from their recent search of a reservoir in Portugal.
German authorities last week helped Portuguese crews comb a remote area inland from the Algarve coastal resort where Madeleine went missing from her bedroom during a family holiday in 2007.
Prosecutors said they would evaluate the undisclosed items in the coming days and weeks.
“Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed,” the prosecutor’s statement read.
Madeleine McCann police confirm ‘number of items’ recovered from reservoir search
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters for the first time
Thursday 1 June 2023 08:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Letters written by the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, in which he protests his innocence and tries to claim he had nothing to do with her disappearance, have been revealed for the first time.
Christian Brueckner, who is in jail for rape, penned a series of letters from his prison cell, attempting to distance himself from the unsolved case of the then-three-year-old, who vanished while on a family holiday from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
“You can never imagine how it is when the whole world believes you are a child murderer, and you are not,” he wrote in the string of neatly written letters unveiled by MailOnline.
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Thursday 1 June 2023 07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3 May 2007, a case still unsolved and still the subject of intense interest among the public and press.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, posted a statement on the Find Madeleine website on 3 May 2023 marking the latest anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance, reiterating their hopes of being reunited with her one day and posting a poem, “The Contradiction” by Clare Pollard, to express their feelings.
“Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction. Still missing… still very much missed,” they wrote.
“The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support- it really helps.”
What happened to Madeleine McCann?
Welcome back
Thursday 1 June 2023 07:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Good morning, welcome back to our liveblog. Stay tuned for the latest updates!
Wednesday 31 May 2023 22:00 , Jane Dalton
Our coverage of the Madeleine McCann case is on hold for now. We will bring you the lastest when we have it.
ICYMI: Suspect charged in five separate cases
Wednesday 31 May 2023 21:45 , Jane Dalton
Six months ago, authorities in Germany issued a new arrest warrant in separate cases in relation to the Madeleine McCann suspect.
Christian Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005.
New arrest warrant issued in relation to other cases for Madeleine McCann suspect
Reminder: Police made German man ‘formal suspect’
Wednesday 31 May 2023 20:30 , Jane Dalton
Just over a year ago the German man linked to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been made a “formal suspect” by Portuguese authorities.
Portuguese authorities make German ‘formal suspect’ in Madeleine McCann probe
What other cases has Christian Brueckner been linked to?
Wednesday 31 May 2023 19:15 , Martha Mchardy
As well as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Brueckner has also been linked to other disappearances of children, including a boy, six, in Portugal in 2000, a five-year-old girl in Germany in 2015 and a number of others.
In 2020, he was being investigated over the rape and murder of Tristan Brübach, a 15-year-old boy from Germany.
Belgian authorities have also linked him to the murder of teenager Carola Titze, 16. She went missing while on holiday in De Haan, Belgium on July 5, 1996 and her body was discovered among sand dunes severely mutilated on July 11.
Other cases believed to be linked to Brueckner include that of Inga Gehrike who went missing from Saxony-Anhalt in Germany on May 2, 2015, René Hasee, six, who vanished while on a family holiday in Aljezur, Portugal on June 21, 1996 and Jair Soares who disappeared in August 1995.
Peggy Knobloch’s case has also been linked to Brueckner after she went missing in May 2001.
Why is Christian Brueckner in prison in Germany?
Wednesday 31 May 2023 17:15 , Martha Mchardy
In April 2022, Brueckner was jailed in Germany for the rape and murder of a 72-year-old woman in the same resort – Praia da Luz – as where Madeleine went missing.
Police in Germany, who are treating the case as a murder enquiry, believe Brueckner planned to rob the holiday apartment but “moved on to a sexual motive”.
It is believed he has a total of 17 convictions including burglary as he steals from hotels and holiday let apartments.
Extract from Christian Brueckner’s prison letters revealed
Wednesday 31 May 2023 15:09 , Martha Mchardy
“You can never imagine how it is when the whole world believes you are a child murderer, and you are not,” Christian Brueckner wrote in the string of neatly written letters unveiled by MailOnline.
According to MailOnline, he goes on to say there is no evidence linking him to the case.
“I got told a long time ago that the prosecuter’s office was closing the Maddie case because there is not even the smallest evidence. There will never be a trial,” he wrote.
“The prosecutors are not saying anything to the public because they must give the files to my lawyers – and they contain many (sic) material which confirms my innocence.”
ICYMI: British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
Wednesday 31 May 2023 12:35 , Matt Mathers
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann in an area close to the desolate reservoir in Portugal searched by police earlier this week.
The retired pair say they discovered a makeshift memorial, consisting of a photograph of the missing toddler surrounded by flowers and stones, at Christmas in 2007. The three year-old had vanished from a holiday resort in Portugal in May that year.
Joe Middleton reports:
UK couple claim to have ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at reservoir police searched
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Wednesday 31 May 2023 10:52 , Matt Mathers
Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3 May 2007, a case still unsolved and still the subject of intense interest among the public and press.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
But three years on, 43-year-old convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner – who denies any connection to the missing youngster – is yet to be charged, as he languishes in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance at the same resort.
Here is a timeline of the key events from the case:
What happened to Madeleine McCann?
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost
Wednesday 31 May 2023 09:17 , Matt Mathers
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann vanished from the Algarve holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
But three years on, 43-year-old convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner – who denies any connection to the missing youngster – is yet to be charged, as he languishes in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance at the same resort.
Here, Andy Gregory takes a look at how much the investigation has cost:
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
ICYMI: Read Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters for the first time
Wednesday 31 May 2023 07:22 , Matt Mathers
Letters written by the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, in which he protests his innocence and tries to claim he had nothing to do with her disappearance, have been revealed for the first time.
Christian Brueckner, who is in jail for rape, penned a series of letters from his prison cell, attempting to distance himself from the unsolved case of the then-three-year-old, who vanished while on a family holiday from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
Tara Cobham reports:
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters
Tuesday 30 May 2023 23:00 , Laura Sharman
We’re pausing our live coverage for this evening.
We’ll bring you the latest developments as we get them.
Thank you for following.
Where are Madeleine McCann’s family now?
Tuesday 30 May 2023 22:01 , Laura Sharman
Madeleine McCann’s family 16 years after the British toddler disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort in the Algarve
Madeleine McCann investigators respond to “certain tips”
Tuesday 30 May 2023 20:02 , Laura Sharman
The office of German prosecutor Christian Wolters said investigators were acting in response to “certain tips” in the search for Madeleine McCann.
Last week, police searched the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve, Portugal, around 35 miles from where the then-three-year-old went missing.
The reservoir is known to have been frequented by the latest suspect in the case Christian Brueckner.
According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, the suspect considered the area his “little slice of paradise”.
Officers were led to the resevoir after trawling through thousands of pictures belonging to Christian B – but there are other places that have come up in the pictures too.
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir
Tuesday 30 May 2023 19:18 , Natalie Crockett
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann in an area close to the desolate reservoir in Portugal searched by police earlier this week.
The retired pair say they discovered a makeshift memorial, consisting of a photograph of the missing toddler surrounded by flowers and stones, at Christmas in 2007. The three-year-old had vanished from a holiday resort in Portugal in May that year.
The husband and wife, named only as Ralf and Ann, say they took photographs of it and sent them to Portuguese detectives but never heard anything back. Just days later, the ‘shrine’ had disappeared, they claim.
Joe Middleton has more:
UK couple claim to have ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at reservoir police searched
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Tuesday 30 May 2023 17:16 , Natalie Crockett
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann vanished from the Algarve holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search for evidence.
Last week, police were spotted at a reservoir some 30 miles from the Praia da Luz resort, in what was soon reported to be international authorities gearing up for a major new search this week based on leads suggesting Brueckner made repeated trips to the area which he dubbed his “little slice of paradise”.
The fresh search at the reservoir – one of six in the Algarve – is the first in Portugal since 2014, and comes as the Metropolitan Police were granted a further £110,000 by the Home Office to fund their search for Madeleine, who would turn 20 this month.
Andy Gregory has more on the investigation costs here:
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
What are the accusations against prime suspect Christian Brueckner?
Tuesday 30 May 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy
Christian Brueckner was declared a prime suspect in the case of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann by Portuguese police in April 2022.
Already in prison in Germany for the rape and murder of a 72-year-old woman, he has now also been charged with multiple sex offences which are alleged to have taken place between 2000 and 2007.
Police in Germany claim to have “concrete evidence” that the British girl is dead though this has not been proven.
A spokesperson from the Braunschweig prosecutor’s office previously said: “The accused is the same person against whom charges were brought in connection with the disappearance of the then three-year-old British girl Madeleine Beth McCann.
“Specifically, the accused is charged with three offences of aggravated rape and two offences of sexual abuse of children.
“The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann continues.”
The charges mentioned do not relate to the McCann case. But in May German police claim to have found new evidence linked to Madeleine inside a van belonging to Brueckner.
Investigators set to widen search after new photos reveal ‘clues’
Tuesday 30 May 2023 14:47 , Martha Mchardy
Investigators are set to widen the search for Madeleine McCann after photos belonging to prime suspect Christian Brueckner revealed ‘clues’.
Two other areas surrounding Praia da Luz, where Madeleine disappeared in 2007, could be searched by police, the Sun reported.
Investigators made the discovery after looking through more than 8,000 photographs belonging to Brueckner.
A source told the Sun: “German officers have gone through more than 8,000 pictures belonging to Christian B. That forensic work led them to Barragem – but there are other places that have come up in the pictures too.
“Detectives are seeking to work out where they are and why Christian B was taking pictures of those places.”
It comes after police searched the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve, Portugal last week, around 35 miles from where the then-three-year-old went missing.
A “relevant clue” was found during the last day of the search after investigators cleared a large area of woodland at the reservoir and dug eight deep holes to collect samples of soil, which have been sent for forensic and DNA testing in Germany.
The office of German prosecutor Christian Wolters said investigators were acting in response to “certain tips”.
The reservoir is known to have been frequented by the latest suspect in the case Christian Brueckner.
According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, the suspect considered the area his “little slice of paradise”.
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Tuesday 30 May 2023 13:15 , Martha Mchardy
Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3 May 2007, a case still unsolved and still the subject of intense interest among the public and press.
Read the full timeline here:
What happened to Madeleine McCann?
Watch: Footage shows holes in the ground in Portugal as search ends
Tuesday 30 May 2023 11:40 , Martha Mchardy
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s prison letters
Tuesday 30 May 2023 09:00 , Martha Mchardy
Letters written by the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, in which he protests his innocence and tries to claim he had nothing to do with her disappearance, have been revealed for the first time.
Christian Brueckner, who is in jail for rape, penned a series of letters from his prison cell, attempting to distance himself from the unsolved case of the then-three-year-old, who vanished while on a family holiday from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
“You can never imagine how it is when the whole world believes you are a child murderer, and you are not,” he wrote in the string of neatly written letters unveiled by MailOnline.
Tara Cobham reports:
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters
Where are Madeleine McCann’s family now?
Tuesday 30 May 2023 07:56 , Martha Mchardy
The case of Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago, unexpectedly lurched back into life this month when investigators launched a major search operation at a reservoir in the Algarve.
The initiative was instigated by German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who said officials were acting on “certain tips” from Christian Brueckner, an incarcerated sex offender who lived in the area between 2000 and 2017. Mr Wolters has said he is “very confident” the 45 year-old holds the key to Madeleine’s disappearance.
With help from Portuguese police and with Scotland Yard detectives watching on, German investigators carried out a thorough search of the Barragem do Arade beauty spot in Silves.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Sixteen years and countless heartbreaks as Madeleine McCann’s family wait for answers