Nearly two decades after three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from her family's holiday apartment, German investigators have launched a new search operation in the Portuguese resort town where she disappeared.
Federal police from Germany are combing areas of Praia da Luz this week alongside Portuguese authorities. This marks the first major search in the area since 2023 and focuses on the route between the Ocean Club resort, where the McCanns stayed, and properties linked to Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the case.
Madeleine disappeared on the evening of 3 May 2007 while her parents dined nearby. Her mother, Kate, discovered the child missing from their ground-floor apartment at around 10pm, triggering one of the UK's most high-profile missing persons investigations.
While UK police confirmed they are aware of the new search, they are not directly involved. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.'
Brueckner's House at Centre of Renewed Search
This latest operation is focused on the area between the Ocean Club resort and a home once occupied by Brueckner, a convicted sex offender currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old American woman in the same region.
Brueckner has been under investigation in connection with Madeleine's disappearance since 2020. He denies any involvement and is due for early release in September — a timeline that has ramped up pressure on prosecutors to act.
In October 2023, Brueckner faced five charges relating to aggravated rape and child sexual abuse dating between 2000 and 2007. However, a judge acquitted him due to a lack of evidence.
A Channel 4 documentary has recently reignited interest in the case, presenting new findings that may link Brueckner to Madeleine's disappearance. Among the evidence reportedly tying him to the case is a hard drive found at a factory he owned. The device contained disturbing images and objects including children's clothes, toys, chemicals, masks, and guns. Although the contents have not been publicly released, investigators claim they are convinced the images help explain why they believe Madeleine is no longer alive.
First Major Operation Since 2023
This marks the first large-scale search for Madeleine in Portugal since May 2023, when investigators spent nearly a week at Arade Dam, approximately 40 minutes from Praia da Luz. Brueckner had reportedly referred to the area as his 'little paradise', but no evidence was recovered.
That operation was itself the first major effort since 2014. In 2020, police had searched three wells for signs of Madeleine's remains, again with no success.
This new push to uncover evidence could be investigators' last major opportunity before Brueckner's scheduled release. Whether this effort will finally yield answers in one of Europe's most haunting unsolved cases remains uncertain.
