Madeleine McCann’s parents have posted a deeply moving message to mark 15 years since their daughter went missing as a three-year-old. it is 'essential' the truth comes out. Alongside it, they included the Winne the Pooh quote: "But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."
In a message on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page, Kate and Gerry McCann said they had never understood the term 'closure' and their need for answers about what happened to the toddler at the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, was essential to them.
The Metropolitan Police says it still continues to treat Madeleine's disappearance as a missing persons inquiry. It says it is 'committed' to finding out the truth.
The McCanns’ post read: “This year we mark 15 years since we last saw Madeleine. It feels no harder than any other but no easier either.
“It’s a very long time. Many people talk about the need for ‘closure’.
“It’s always felt a strange term. Regardless of outcome, Madeleine will always be our daughter and a truly horrific crime has been committed.
“These things will remain. It is true though that uncertainty creates weakness; knowledge and certainty give strength, and for this reason our need for answers, for the truth, is essential.
“We are grateful for the ongoing work and commitment of the UK, Portuguese and German authorities as it is this combined police effort which will yield results and bring us those answers. As always, we would like to thank all of our supporters for their continued good wishes and support.
“It is a huge comfort to know that regardless of time passed, Madeleine is still in people’s hearts and minds. Thank you.”
In July 2013, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation, Operation Grange, into Madeleine’s disappearance. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell from the Metropolitan Police, who leads the operation, said: “Fifteen years on from Madeleine’s disappearance in Praia Da Luz our thoughts, as always, are with her family.
“Officers continue to investigate the case and our dedicated team are still working closely with law enforcement colleagues from the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria as well as the German Bundeskriminalamt. At this time, the case remains a missing person’s inquiry and all involved are committed to doing what we can to find answers.”
It comes after convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 44, was declared an official suspect by Portuguese authorities last month, which was welcomed by the couple.
Prosecutors in the Algarve city of Faro released a statement that said, according to a translation, that a person was named an “arguido”, a Portuguese legal designation which elevates a witness to the status of a named or formal suspect.
The statement did not name Brueckner but said the person was made an “arguido” by German authorities at the request of Portugal’s public prosecution service.
Brueckner, who was identified as a murder suspect by German prosecutors in June 2020, has reportedly denied any involvement in the case and has not been charged.
Investigators believe the convicted sex offender killed Madeleine, then three, after abducting her from the holiday apartment.
