Madeleine McCann – latest: Search to end in hours as police stand down at Portugal reservoir

The Madeleine McCann search is expected to end in hours as Portugal police have been ordered to stand down at the Algarve reservoir.

An investigation has been taking place since Tuesday this week after German detectives were informed by a “very credible source” that key suspect Christian Brueckner visited the reservoir “some days” after Madeleine vanished.

However, The Mirror reported that a police souce said: “The GNR has received instructions to stand down at 4pm local time.”

The Barragem do Arade is around 31 miles from the Praia da Luz resort where Maddy disappeared. Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

On Tuesday, officers acting on “credible information” were said to be seeking any fragments of clothing and old rags that could be related to her disappearance, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The development comes days after Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, issued a tribute on their Leicestershire-born daughter’s 20th birthday, telling her: “We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”

Key Points

  • Portugal reservoir search to end in hours as police told to ‘stand down'

  • Key suspect Christian Brueckner visited reservoir ‘days after disappearance’

  • Investigators looking for Madeleine’s ‘pink pyjamas’

  • Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

  • Timeline in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

Portugal reservoir search to end in hours as police told to ‘stand down'

12:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Madeleine McCann search is expected to end in hours as Portugal police have been ordered to stand down at the Algarve reservoir.

An investigation has been taking place since Tuesday this week after German detectives were informed by a “very credible source” that key suspect Christian Brueckner visited the reservoir “some days” after Madeleine vanished.

However, The Mirror reported that a police souce said: “The GNR has received instructions to stand down at 4pm local time.”

The Barragem do Arade is around 31 miles from the Praia da Luz resort where Maddy disappeared. Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

ICYMI: Madeleine McCann police searching remote location visited by key suspect

12:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police looking for Madeleine McCann are to begin a major search of a remote Algarve reservoir visited by main suspect Christian Brueckner.

The scene is some 30 miles from the Praia da Luz holiday resort where the three-year-old vanished in May 2007. A mile-long peninsula jutting into the reservoir was sealed off just after midday on Monday, with several local council lorries spotted there as tents and other structures were erected.

Just under a mile away, Portuguese civil protection workers and police were seen setting up large blue tents.

An onlooker said: “There are around two dozen Policia Judiciaria officers who seem to be supervising things at this stage.”

Portugal’s judiciary police confirmed reports of the German-led investigation on Monday evening, with German and British officers expected to reach the area imminently.

Live: Portugal's police continue search in dam for Madeleine McCann on third day

12:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Watch the livestream of Portugal’s police searching the Algarve reservoir on the third day of the Madeleine McCann search.

Live: Portugal's police continue search in dam for Madeleine McCann on third day

Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance

12:00 , 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?

Officers photograph digging site on day three of Madeleine McCann search

11:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police have begun photographing an excavation site near the banks of a remote reservoir in Portugal as the fresh Madeleine McCann searches entered a third day.

Officers maintained their focus on an area of woodland on a peninsula at the Barragem do Arade on Thursday after a digging operation was commenced on Wednesday afternoon.

Heavy machinery continued to cut through vast undergrowth at the site, while a mixture of uniformed and plain-clothed officers raked the ground.

A large section of the Barragem do Arade has been cordoned off since Tuesday morning, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

Officers used shovels to excavate their area of focus, and sniffer dogs and pickaxes have also been deployed over the course of the searches.

As some concentrated on the digging site, others used rakes and shovels to scour the surrounding area, slowly making their way through the recently trimmed undergrowth.

The operation is being carried out at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 45, kidnapped and murdered the youngster.

He is currently 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.

German authorities have not revealed what triggered the latest search operation, but prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig Christian Wolters said they were acting on the basis of “certain tips”.

 (PA)
(PA)

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

11:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

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.

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?

11:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir in the Algarve 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”.

What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?

Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

10:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for more than 15 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged. Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.

German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year. 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.

All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him

ICYMI: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used by police in fresh Madeleine McCann searches

10:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police have combed the banks of a reservoir in Portugal with the help of sniffer dogs, rakes and pickaxes as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Emergency service divers were seen on a rigid-hull inflatable boat early on Tuesday morning at the Barragem do Arade – around 30 miles from Praia da Luz, where the three-year-old went missing in 2007.

Officers concentrated their search at one area of the reservoir – erecting white tents on a hill on the banks.

Further around the water, emergency services and officials from Portugal, Germany and the UK were seen holding briefings near blue police tents.

In the search area, uniformed and plain-clothed officers spent a number of hours scouring the banks – hammering away at the ground with pickaxes and combing through small rocks with rakes and spades.

Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used by police in fresh Madeleine McCann searches

In pictures: Search for Madeleine McCann continues at Portugal’s reservoir

09:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Authorities gather at a Judiciary Police (PJ) makeshift base camp in the Arade dam area as the Madeleine McCann search continues.

 (EPA)
(EPA)
 (EPA)
(EPA)
 (EPA)
(EPA)

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake ‘for her pink pyjamas’

09:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police are searching a Portuguese lake for the pink pyjamas Madeleine McCann was wearing when she vanished in 2007, sources close to the investigation have said.

Officers are searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal for any fragments of clothing or old rags that could be related to Madeleine’s disappearance, according to reports.

Investigators suspect that 45-year-old German prisoner Christian Brueckner killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake for ‘her pink pyjamas’

Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance

09:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from a Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but the emergence of a new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure:

What happened to Madeleine McCann?

Watch live: Police scour reservoir for second day in Madeleine McCann search

08:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Watch live as police search a reservoir in Portugal for a second day on Wednesday, 23 May, in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Portuguese authorities, assisted by German police, set up tents an area near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 50km (31 miles) from where the toddler went missing aged three in Praia da Luz in 2007.

Searches are being conducted at the request of German police in the presence of British officers.

Watch live: Police scour reservoir for second day in Madeleine McCann search

Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?

08:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir in the Algarve 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?

German prosecutor says they have strong ‘indications’ reservoir is important for investigation

07:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Christian Wolters, the Braunschweig prosecutor, said the search of the reservoir was based on very strong “indications” that the site was important.

In an interview with German public service broadcaster NDR, he said: “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 came 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.

“It was other indications that prompted us to conduct the search.”

Key suspect Christian Brueckner visited reservoir ‘days after disappearance’

07:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The prime suspect in the search, Christian Brueckner, is said to have visited the Algarve reservoir “some days” after Madeleine disappeared, a source close to the investigation revealed.

German detectives were informed by a “very credible source” who knew the suspect, The Telegraph reported.

The Barragem do Arade is around 31 miles from the Praia da Luz resort where Maddy disappeared.

Christian Brueckner (Reuters)
Christian Brueckner (Reuters)

Watch: Sniffer dogs search Portuguese reservoir as Madeleine McCann investigation continues

07:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

07:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

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.

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’ in Portugal

06:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police have cut down trees and swathes of undergrowth as they continue to search Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s “little paradise” in Portugal.

Officers were working with strimmers and heavy machinery at the Barragem do Arade on Wednesday, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

On the second day of the latest hunt for the missing girl, the search team were this morning focusing on a valley slightly north of a secluded clearing behind trees near where three tents were put up on Monday.

The dense vegetation meant they had to use tools including chainsaws to remove trees to access the water properly.

Officers are also understood to be searching the reservoir for the pink pyjamas Madeleine was wearing when she vanished, sources close to the investigation have said.

Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’

Madeleine McCann: What we know so far as police search Algarve reservoir

06:00 , Joe Middleton

Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for more than 15 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged. Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.

German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year. 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.

Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from the bed of her holiday apartment while her parents and family friends dined 180 feet away. Her two-year-old twin siblings were also in the apartment she went missing from. Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann have been searching for answers ever since.

The Metropolitan Police took over the investigation, Operation Grange, in 2011 but they hit dead ends. There has not been another significant suspect in the case since 2007 until Brueckner.

All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him

Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’ in Portugal

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Police have cut down trees and swathes of undergrowth as they continue to search Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s “little paradise” in Portugal.

Officers were working with strimmers and heavy machinery at the Barragem do Arade on Wednesday, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

On the second day of the latest hunt for the missing girl, the search team were this morning focusing on a valley slightly north of a secluded clearing behind trees near where three tents were put up on Monday.

Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’

Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance

04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from a Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but the emergence of a new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure:

What happened to Madeleine McCann?

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

04:00 , 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.

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.

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir

03:00 , Joe Middleton

Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

02:00 , Joe Middleton

Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for more than 15 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged.

Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s the Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.

German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year.

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.

All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him

Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance

01:00 , Joe Middleton

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.”

Here is a reminder of the events of the case:

What happened to Madeleine McCann?

Sniffer dogs search Portuguese reservoir as Madeleine McCann investigation continues

Wednesday 24 May 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake ‘for her pink pyjamas’

Wednesday 24 May 2023 23:00 , Joe Middleton

Police are searching a Portuguese lake for the pink pyjamas Madeleine McCann was wearing when she vanished in 2007, sources close to the investigation have said.

Officers are searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal for any fragments of clothing or old rags that could be related to Madeleine’s disappearance, according to reports.

Investigators suspect that 45-year-old German prisoner Christian Brueckner killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake for ‘her pink pyjamas’

Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?

Wednesday 24 May 2023 22:00 , Joe Middleton

Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir in the Algarve 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”.

What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?

Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir

Wednesday 24 May 2023 21:00 , Joe Middleton

German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site

Wednesday 24 May 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

Police searching for clues regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann were concentrating operations Wednesday in several areas around a dam, including one where media reports say a lead suspect in the case often stayed.

The latest search for clues regarding the disappearance started Tuesday following a request by German authorities. Some 30 Portuguese, German and British police are taking part in the operation at the Arade dam, which is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the resort of Praia da Luz, where the 3-year-old girl was last seen 16 years ago.

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.”

Read the full story:

German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site

What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?

Wednesday 24 May 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy

A German-led police operation is examining the Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve said to have been visited by Brueckner during his 17-year stay in the region between 2000 and 2017.

According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, the suspect considered the area his “little slice of paradise” and the investigation is set to last for several days.

Joe Sommerlad reports on what we know so far:

What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?

Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir

Wednesday 24 May 2023 18:27 , Joe Middleton

Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’ in Portugal

Wednesday 24 May 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

Police have cut down trees and swathes of undergrowth as they continue to search Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s “little paradise” in Portugal.

Officers were working with strimmers and heavy machinery at the Barragem do Arade on Wednesday, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

On the second day of the latest hunt for the missing girl, the search team were this morning focusing on a valley slightly north of a secluded clearing behind trees near where three tents were put up on Monday.

Joe Middleton and Gerard Couzens report:

Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake ‘for her pink pyjamas’

Wednesday 24 May 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy

Police are searching a Portuguese lake for the pink pyjamas Madeleine McCann was wearing when she vanished in 2007, sources close to the investigation have said.

Officers are searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal for any fragments of clothing or old rags that could be related to Madeleine’s disappearance, according to reports.

Investigators suspect that 45-year-old German prisoner Christian Brueckner killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

Martha McHardy reports:

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake for ‘her pink pyjamas’

Portuguese residents and holidaymakers share hopes that Madeleine McCann will be found

Wednesday 24 May 2023 15:49 , Martha Mchardy

Praia da Luz residents and holidaymakers have shared hopes Madeleine McCann will be found 16 years after she went missing.

“I hope they will find something, so the parents can have peace,” said Gert, 49-year-old Dane who lives in the same building from which McCann disappeared.

74-year-old Rodney from Manchester said: “Hopefully this time, unfortunately, they will find some remains, allowing the situation to close. Must be torture, 16 years of uncertainty.”

CNN Portugal said the search operation would continue at least for one more day on Thursday.

Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?

Wednesday 24 May 2023 15:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir in the Algarve 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”.

What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?

Sniffer dogs search Portuguese reservoir as Madeleine McCann investigation continues

Wednesday 24 May 2023 14:00 , Joe Middleton

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Wednesday 24 May 2023 13:45 , 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.

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.

Andy Gregory reports.

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

Wednesday 24 May 2023 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

German prisoner Christian 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.

Watch live: Police continue search of Portugal reservoir in Madeleine McCann investigation

Wednesday 24 May 2023 12:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Watch live as police continue search of Portugal reservoir in Madeleine McCann investigation.

Live: Police continue search of Portugal reservoir in Madeleine McCann investigation

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake ‘for her pink pyjamas’

Wednesday 24 May 2023 12:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police are searching a Portuguese lake for the pink pyjamas Madeleine McCann was wearing when she vanished in 2007, sources close to the investigation have said.

Officers are searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal for any fragments of clothing or old rags that could be related to Madeleine’s disappearance, according to reports.

Investigators suspect that 45-year-old German prisoner Christian Brueckner killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake for ‘her pink pyjamas’

Update on fresh searches in Madeleine McCann case

Wednesday 24 May 2023 12:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Fresh searches in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have entered a second day as police clear undergrowth near the banks of a remote reservoir in Portugal.

Officers were working with strimmers at the Barragem do Arade on Wednesday, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing at the age of three while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in 2007.

A fire service vehicle and rigid-hull inflatable boat were also on the banks of the reservoir.

Other officers with a sniffer dog were seen entering an area of woodland as the search continued.

The fresh searches are being carried out at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 45, kidnapped and murdered the little girl.

He is currently 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.

 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir in Madeleine McCann investigation

Wednesday 24 May 2023 11:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police have combed the banks of a reservoir in Portugal with the help of sniffer dogs and pickaxes in searches connected to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Divers entered the water at the Barragem do Arade dam on Tuesday, 23 May.

The location is around 30 miles (50km) from Praia da Luz, where the three-year-old went missing in 2007.

Officers have concentrated their efforts int one area of the reservoir.

Police have been hammering away at the ground with pickaxes and combing through small rocks with rakes and spades.

Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir in Madeleine McCann investigation

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Wednesday 24 May 2023 11:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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.

How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Police search teams by the remote Algarve reservoir

Wednesday 24 May 2023 10:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) criminal investigation unit members stand near tents in the Arade dam area, in Silves on the second day of searching the Algrave reservoir.

 (AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)
 (AP)
(AP)
 (AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)

Investigators looking for Madeleine’s ‘pink pyjamas’

Wednesday 24 May 2023 09:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police officers searching for Madeleine McCann are scouring a lake in Portugal for the pink pajamas the British toddler was wearing when she vanished in 2007, according to sources.

The officers acting on “credible information” are seeking any fragments of clothing and old rags that could be related to her disappearance, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Investigators took “a number of bags” away from the remote Algarve reservoir yesterday, according to the report.

Madeleine McCann has been missing since 2007 (PA Media)
Madeleine McCann has been missing since 2007 (PA Media)

In pictures: Police search teams return to reservoir

Wednesday 24 May 2023 09:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police search teams have arrived back to an operation tent from German and Portuguese registered vehicles near Barragem do Arade, Portugal as the search for Maddy McCann continues.

 (AP)
(AP)
 (AP)
(AP)

Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir

Wednesday 24 May 2023 08:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Who is Christian Brueckner?

Wednesday 24 May 2023 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for 16 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged.

Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.

German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year.

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 3 May 2007.

Lucy Skoulding reports.

All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him