Portuguese and German authorities have started a new search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal, nearly two decades after her disappearance.
Timeline: Madeleine McCann disappearance The search – which covers the municipality of Lagos near Praia da Luz – is due to continue until Friday.
Madeleine’s case was initially handled by the Portuguese authorities with the aid of the Metropolitan Police.
German authorities fear that if Brückner is not charged with anything, he will disappear after his release.
They said they would hand over any evidence seized in the latest search to German authorities.
Nearly 20 years after Madeleine McCann vanished, Portuguese and German authorities have begun a fresh search for her in Portugal.
On May 3, 2007, while on a family vacation in Praia da Luz, Algarve, Madeleine disappeared from an apartment complex when she was three years old.
The disappearance of the British toddler, which is one of the most well-known unresolved missing person cases in the world, prompted a police investigation throughout Europe.
Portuguese police confirmed Monday that the search, which was conducted between 21 separate plots of land between the resort where Madeleine went missing and the residence of the main suspect in her disappearance, was conducted on warrants issued by German prosecutors.
Timeline: The disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
The search is expected to last until Friday and encompasses the Lagos municipality close to Praia da Luz.
The search site, which is about three to five miles from the resort where Madeleine was last seen, was reached on Tuesday morning by a Portuguese fire engine and four vehicles carrying German police.
The large, primarily scrubland site’s roads have been blocked since Monday, and the day’s focus seems to be on abandoned structures close to the coast. Additionally, a sizable blue tent has been set up in the same spot.
An estimated 30 German police officers are anticipated to take part in the search.
The Metropolitan Police initially assisted the Portuguese authorities in handling Madeleine’s case. The British government announced in 2019 that it would provide funding for the 2011–2020 Met Police investigation.
When German national Christian Brückner was named as the main suspect in 2020, German investigators took the lead in the case.
The 48-year-old is currently serving a sentence in Germany for a different offense: in 2005, he raped a 72-year-old American traveler in Portugal. If he doesn’t pay the fine he owes, his September release date could be postponed until early 2026.
After his release, German authorities fear that Brückner will vanish if he is not charged with anything.
Although they have not discovered enough evidence to file charges, they suspect him of murder, and Brückner consistently denies any involvement.
Brückner has also been designated as a formal suspect, or “arguido,” by Portuguese authorities. They promised to give any evidence found during the most recent search to the German authorities.
The Met Police are still looking into Madeleine’s disappearance, and this week they stated that they were aware of the searches being conducted by German police in Portugal.
Operation Grange is the name of the case, which has been pending since 2011.
Authorities have not revealed whether this most recent search in Portugal is being carried out in response to any fresh information, giving the impression that they are doing a final examination of potential hiding places for evidence or a body.
In order to conduct searches on private property, German police have a European warrant that Portuguese prosecutors have authorized.
Permission to search 21 plots of land between the Ocean Club resort where Madeleine vanished and the residence where Brückner was staying at the time has been granted to the team of German and Portuguese investigators.
