Madeleine McCann news – latest: Investigators set to widen search after new photos reveal ‘clues’
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[1], Portugal[2] last week, around 35 miles from where the then-three-year-old went missing.
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”.
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
Kate and Gerry forced to wait ‘weeks’ for reservoir search results
Monday 29 May 2023 15:20 , Tara Cobham
Madeleine McCann’s parents will have to wait several weeks to find out the results of the analysis of the materials gathered in the new search in their daughter’s investigation, according to German authorities.
Police were scouring the remote Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve, Portugal last week, around 35 miles from where the then-three-year-old went missing in 2007 while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz.
As police concluded their three-day hunt for evidence on Thursday, they confirmed “materials collected” had been sent to Germany for analysis.
But German authorities have told the BBC that Kate and Gerry will have to wait several weeks before they find out the results.
Speaking to the BBC, Braunschweig prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said there had been good reason to scour the reservoir area and that the German-led investigation is ongoing out of the public eye, with other searches having been conducted.
Investigators set to widen search after new photos reveal ‘clues’
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[3], Portugal[4] 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
13:15 , Martha Mchardy
Madeleine McCann[5], a three-year-old girl from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve[6] 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?[7]
Watch: Footage shows holes in the ground in Portugal as search ends
11:40 , Martha Mchardy
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s prison letters
09:00 , Martha Mchardy
Letters written by the prime suspect[8] in the Madeleine McCann case[9], 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[10], 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[11], 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[12].
Tara Cobham reports:
Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters[13]
Where are Madeleine McCann’s family now?
07:56 , Martha Mchardy
The case of Madeleine McCann[14], the British toddler who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort[15] 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”[16] from Christian Brueckner[17], an incarcerated sex offender who lived in the area between 2000 and 2017. Mr Wolters has said he is “very confident”[18] 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[19] in Silves.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Sixteen years and countless heartbreaks as Madeleine McCann’s family wait for answers[20]
Sixteen years and countless heartbreaks for family
Monday 29 May 2023 23:30 , Sam Rkaina
The case of Madeleine McCann[21], the British toddler who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort[22] 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”[23] from Christian Brueckner[24], an incarcerated sex offender who lived in the area between 2000 and 2017. Mr Wolters has said he is “very confident”[25] 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[26] in Silves.
Click here for Joe Sommerlad’s feature on the family’s long wait for answers.[27]
Madeleine McCann (PA Media)
McCann family’s ‘new normality’ living without daughter
Monday 29 May 2023 22:20 , Tara Cobham
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”[28] 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.
Have Madeleine’s siblings ever spoken about her case
Monday 29 May 2023 21:20 , Tara Cobham
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[29] 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.”
When Kate and Gerry successfully campaigned for reopening of case
Monday 29 May 2023 20:20 , Tara Cobham
The McCanns refused to give up, issuing computer-generated images of how their daughter might look with the advancing years, publishing their own book, entitled simply Madeleine (2011), and endorsing a successful campaign to pressure then-prime minister David Cameron into reopening the case. He did so.
The result was Operation Grange, which saw officers return to Portugal in 2014 and investigate tens of thousands of documents at great expense, without definitively establishing the truth, causing the case to lie dormant for several years until Brueckner emerged as a new suspect in 2020.
Writing in Madeleine, Kate McCann discussed the toll the ordeal had taken on her devout Roman Catholic faith, stating: “There have been many times when I’ve felt God has deserted me or that He has let Madeleine down. I’ve occasionally doubted His existence altogether. And yes, I’ve been angry with Him.
“For now, though, at least, my anger towards God seems to have subsided. I believe in Him and I still feel His presence.”
Allegations Kate and Gerry faced at time of daughter’s disappearance
Monday 29 May 2023 19:20 , Tara Cobham
After Madeleine’s disappearance from the family’s rented apartment complex – while her parents and a group of friends ate dinner at an open-air tapas restaurant, a member of the party checking on the otherwise-unattended children every half-hour – the McCanns led the public appeals for information and became fixtures on newspaper front pages and television screens.
They were also subjected to lurid tabloid allegations suggesting that they and their friends might be swingers or, as physicians, might have been in the habit of sedating their children. Others claimed to have spotted inconsistencies in their account of the night’s events, insinuating that they might have been involved in their daughter’s disappearance.
The intensity of the hostility towards the McCanns would later be described by Roy Greenslade of The Guardian as “no journalistic accident”[30] and “a sustained campaign of vitriol against a grief-stricken family”.
The couple were interviewed as “arguidos” (suspects) by the Portuguese authorities in September 2007, with the parents told that police dogs had discovered DNA evidence from the missing girl in the boot of their holiday rental car. They vehemently denied the accusations against them and subsequently launched a libel action against one of the detectives who had gone on to write a book about the case.
After the family returned to England, chief inspector Tavares de Almeida of the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao signed a nine-page report alleging that Madeleine had died in the holiday apartment as a result of an accident (rather than been abducted by a stranger), that the tapas dinner and rota checks had been part of a planned cover-up, that the family’s friends had helped to mislead the police and that the McCanns had concealed her body and then faked a kidnapping.
That official suspicion lingered until July 2008 when Portugal’s attorney general, Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, announced that there was no evidence to link either the McCanns or another suspect, local man Robert Murat, to the disappearance after all and closed the case unsolved.
Who are Kate and Gerry
Monday 29 May 2023 18:20 , Sam Rkaina
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.
(AP)
Gerry and Kate have refused to give up hope
Monday 29 May 2023 17:20 , Tara Cobham
Madeleine McCann’s parents Gerry and Kate have refused to give up hope over the past 16 years, experiencing countless heartbreaks along the way and living lifes defined by the torturous mystery.
As recently as earlier this month, they posted a poem remembering their lost daughter on their Find Madeleine website, reminding readers that she is “still missing… still very much missed”.
“The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps,” they added.
Why the Madeleine McCann case lurched back into life this month
Monday 29 May 2023 16:20 , Tara Cobham
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.
They combed the shoreline and surrounding grasslands with sniffer dogs, rakes, spades and pickaxes, and inspected the water in a rigid-hull inflatable boat. A no-fly zone in place in the skies overhead allowed police drones to survey the region undisturbed.
The site is located approximately 30 miles northeast of the Ocean Club holiday resort at Praia da Luz in Lagos from which Madeleine vanished on 3 May 2007, sparking a huge investigation that attracted media attention and public interest across the world but which has so far still not yielded any definite answers.
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann’s sister speaking publicly for first time
Monday 29 May 2023 14:19 , Tara Cobham
Earlier this month, Madeleine McCann’s sister spoke publicly for the first time since her sibling’s disappearance 16 years ago.
At a vigil marking the anniversary, Amelie, now aged 18, said: “It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion.”
The informal prayer meeting, attended by about 70 people, took place in the family’s home village of Rothley in Leicestershire on Wednesday evening. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann took part, although Sean, Amelie’s twin brother, did not.
Thomas Kingsley has the full story:
Madeleine McCann’s sister speaks publicly for the first time since her disappearance[31]
Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters revealed for first time
Monday 29 May 2023 13:00 , Tara Cobham
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.
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters revealed[32]
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Monday 29 May 2023 12:46 , Eleanor Noyce
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann[33] vanished from the Algarve[34] holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search[35] for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police[36] inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
Andy Gregory reports:
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?[37]
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Monday 29 May 2023 12:00 , Tara Cobham
Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but emergence of new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure:
What happened to Madeleine McCann?[38]
‘The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t’
Monday 29 May 2023 11:00 , Tara Cobham
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.
What are the accusations against Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner?
Monday 29 May 2023 10:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
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.
Brueckner has denied any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?
Monday 29 May 2023 09:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police in Portugal[39] investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann[40] 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir[41] in the Algarve[42] known to have been frequented by the latest suspect in the case.
Ms McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was just three years old when she went missing from an apartment complex at the Ocean Club holiday resort of Praia da Luz in the municipality of Lagos on 3 May 2007.
Her case remains unsolved and is still the subject of intense public and press interest.
Her parents, doctors Gerry and Kate McCann, continue to campaign for her return and recently posted a poem remembering her on their Find Madeleine website, reminding readers that she is “still missing … still very much missed”.
They added: “The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps.”
What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?[43]
ICYMI: German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site
Monday 29 May 2023 08:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
In Germany, Braunschweig prosecutor Christian Wolters told German public broadcaster NDR, “We have indications that we could find evidence there. I don’t want to say what that is exactly, and I also don’t want to say where these indications come from.
“The only thing that I would clarify is that it doesn’t come from the suspect — so we don’t have a confession or anything similar now, or an indication from the suspect of where it would make sense to search, ” Wolters said, adding that “it was other indications that prompted us to conduct this search.”
But Wolters appeared to calm expectations of what might be found, saying, “We never said that the girl disappeared where we are now searching.”
German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site[44]
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Monday 29 May 2023 07:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann[45] vanished from the Algarve[46] holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search[47] for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police[48] 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[49] – 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.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?[50]
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann search: Police leave holes two feet deep as reservoir hunt ends
Monday 29 May 2023 07:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police hunting a remote reservoir in Portugal[51] for evidence linked to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann[52] have left holes around two feet deep.
The three-day search was concluded on Thursday after officers were instructed to stand down at the Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve.
The remote dam is located around 31 miles from the Praia de Luz resort- the hotel where Madeleine vanished while her parents were at dinner in a tapas bar with friends around 100 yards away from their holiday apartment.
As part of this investigation, police dug holes of around 60cm and these have been left, along with piles of soil, now that authorities have left the digging area.
The surrounding woodland showed pathways had been cut by heavy machinery, leading to the main flattened 160 square foot excavation area.
Police leave holes two feet deep as Madeleine McCann reservoir search ends[53]
What are the accusations against Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner?
Monday 29 May 2023 06:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
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.
Brueckner has denied any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?
Monday 29 May 2023 05:50 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police in Portugal[54] investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann[55] 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir[56] in the Algarve[57] known to have been frequented by the latest suspect in the case.
Ms McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was just three years old when she went missing from an apartment complex at the Ocean Club holiday resort of Praia da Luz in the municipality of Lagos on 3 May 2007.
Her case remains unsolved and is still the subject of intense public and press interest.
Her parents, doctors Gerry and Kate McCann, continue to campaign for her return and recently posted a poem remembering her on their Find Madeleine website, reminding readers that she is “still missing … still very much missed”.
They added: “The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps.”
What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?[58]
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Monday 29 May 2023 05:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but emergence of new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure:
What happened to Madeleine McCann?[59]
‘The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t’
Monday 29 May 2023 04:51 , Maroosha Muzaffar
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.
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
Monday 29 May 2023 04:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann[60] 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,[61] 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.[62] Just days later, the ‘shrine’ had disappeared, they claim.
The couple say they didn’t think anything else of the “weird” incident until three years ago when Christian Brueckner was first identified by German authorities. He was named by Portuguese authorities as a formal suspect in 2022.
Ralf told the Mail on Sunday[63]: “I immediately contacted the BKA in Germany and told them what we had and I had a reply back within a few hours.”
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Sunday 28 May 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton
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.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?[64]
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
Sunday 28 May 2023 23:45 , Joe Middleton
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[65]
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir
Sunday 28 May 2023 22:45 , Joe Middleton
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Sunday 28 May 2023 21:44 , Joe Middleton
Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but emergence of new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure, writes Joe Sommerlad.
What happened to Madeleine McCann?[66]
Full story: What we know about the Barragem do Arade reservoir
Sunday 28 May 2023 20:00 , Sam Rkaina
The dam that was searched is situated approximately 31 miles northeast of the coastal resort from which Madeleine disappeared.
It was constructed in 1955 and is fed by the 35-mile-long Arade river.
Its waters were previously searched in 2008 by specialist divers paid for by Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, who claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that the girl’s body was in the waterway.
On Monday 22 May, investigators sealed off a mile-long peninsula jutting into the reservoir[67] and began setting up makeshift blue tents to serve as a base of operations.
Click here for the full story.[68]
Portuguese police investigators dismantle base camp at the end of the three-day search for remains of Madeleine McCann (Getty Images)
Why were police searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal?
Sunday 28 May 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy
Police in Portugal[69] investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann[70] 16 years ago ended a three-day search of the Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve on Thursday.
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”.
A brief statement from the office of German prosecutor Christian Wolters confirmed the search, saying investigators were acting in response to “certain tips”[71].
Personnel at Barragem do Arade reservoir, in the Algave, Portugal (PA)
He later confirmed investigators were looking for a body, but also for anything that could help the investigation, such as clothing.
A Daily Mail report suggested police are seeking traces of the pink pyjamas Madeleine was wearing on the day of her disappearance.
Mr Wolters said he did not expect the results of the studies of the collected samples to be announced any time soon.
The reservoir’s waters were previously searched in 2008 by specialist divers paid for by Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, who claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that the girl’s body was in the waterway.
The dam searched by police is situated approximately 31 miles northeast of the coastal resort from which Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
References
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Portugal (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Portugal (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ What happened to Madeleine McCann? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ prime suspect (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann case (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Christian Brueckner (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ unsolved case of the then-three-year-old (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ MailOnline (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Read Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “certain tips” (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Christian Brueckner (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “very confident” (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ a thorough search of the Barragem do Arade beauty spot (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Sixteen years and countless heartbreaks as Madeleine McCann’s family wait for answers (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “certain tips” (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Christian Brueckner (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “very confident” (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ a thorough search of the Barragem do Arade beauty spot (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Click here for Joe Sommerlad’s feature on the family’s long wait for answers. (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “a new normality” (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Speaking publicly for the first time (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “no journalistic accident” (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ Madeleine McCann’s sister speaks publicly for the first time since her disappearance (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s bombshell prison letters revealed (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ major new search (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Metropolitan Police (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ What happened to Madeleine McCann? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Portugal (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ searching a reservoir (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ major new search (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Metropolitan Police (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Christian Brueckner (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Portugal (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Police leave holes two feet deep as Madeleine McCann reservoir search ends (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Portugal (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ searching a reservoir (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Algarve (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ What happened to Madeleine McCann? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ the missing toddler surrounded by flowers and stones, (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ sent them to Portuguese detectives but never heard anything back. (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Mail on Sunday (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ UK couple claim to have ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at reservoir police searched (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ What happened to Madeleine McCann? (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ sealed off a mile-long peninsula jutting into the reservoir (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Click here for the full story. (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Portugal (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Madeleine McCann (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ “certain tips” (www.independent.co.uk)