German detectives focus on house where prime suspect Christian Brueckner lived as he faces release from prison in just THREE months
Police are set to launch dramatic new searches for Madeleine McCann tomorrow near the very spot where the three-year-old vanished 18 years ago, in a fresh bid to solve one of the world’s most haunting mysteries.
German detectives have requested the searches, which are expected to focus on an area between Praia da Luz and a house near the Algarve holiday resort where prime suspect Christian Brueckner once lived.
The operation marks the first search on Portuguese soil in more than two years and comes as the convicted paedophile faces release from prison in just three months – sparking fears he could flee the country.
RACE AGAINST TIME
A well-placed Portuguese source confirmed this week’s operation is scheduled to get underway tomorrow but said some preparation work may take place beforehand.
“They will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine’s body,” the source revealed.
Unless anything relevant emerges, the search is expected to last about three days, with Portuguese police cooperating after the operation was approved by the country’s judicial authorities.
The renewed urgency comes as German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters admitted in January there is currently “no prospect of an indictment” against Brueckner – meaning the 48-year-old could walk free when his current sentence ends in September.
HOUSE OF HORRORS
The search will reportedly focus on a building close to the resort where Brueckner lived at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance on May 3, 2007.
This is the same man whose abandoned German factory revealed a cache of chilling evidence including:
- 75 children’s swimming costumes
- Children’s clothes and toys
- A “deeply concerning” hard drive containing images police are keeping secret
- USB sticks buried under his dead dog
- Disturbing stories about abducting and abusing young girls
In one sickening fantasy found on a USB stick, Brueckner wrote about drugging a mother and daughter outside a pre-school before abusing a blonde four-year-old girl.
PREVIOUS SEARCHES FAILED
The new operation follows a string of failed searches over the years:
May 2023: A massive three-day operation at the remote Arade Dam, 40 minutes from Praia da Luz – dubbed Brueckner’s “little paradise” – yielded no breakthrough
June 2014: British police scoured Praia da Luz with sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar, finding nothing
2008-2013: Multiple searches by Portuguese and British authorities across the Algarve region
THE NIGHT MADDIE VANISHED
Madeleine disappeared from apartment 5A at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz while her parents Kate and Gerry dined with friends at a tapas restaurant just 130 feet away.
The McCanns had left their three children – Madeleine and her twin siblings – sleeping while they ate, checking on them periodically throughout the evening.
At 10pm, Kate discovered an open window and found Madeleine missing from her bed. The toddler, just days shy of her fourth birthday, has never been seen again.
BRUECKNER: THE PRIME SUSPECT
Christian Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in June 2020 after German police discovered:
- His mobile phone pinged near the McCann apartment on the night Madeleine vanished
- He re-registered his car the day after her disappearance
- He allegedly told a girlfriend the night before: “I have a horrible job to do tomorrow that will change my life
- He lived in an isolated farmhouse just one mile from the Ocean Club
The convicted rapist is currently serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz – the same resort where Madeleine vanished.
CLOCK TICKING FOR JUSTICE
With Brueckner’s release date looming in September 2025, German prosecutors face a race against time to find evidence that could finally bring charges.
He was acquitted in October 2024 of separate sex crime charges, raising fears he will walk free before investigators can build their case.
The German prosecutor leading the investigation admitted: “As things stand Brueckner would be released in early September.
PARENTS’ AGONY CONTINUES
For Kate and Gerry McCann, every failed search adds to their 18 years of torment, not knowing what happened to their beloved daughter.
The couple, both doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, have never given up hope of finding Madeleine – who would now be 22 years old.
German authorities believe Madeleine is dead, though no body has ever been found and her parents continue to cling to hope she could still be alive.
WHAT THE SEARCHES INVOLVE
Tomorrow’s operation will see:
- German and Portuguese police working together
- Land searches only – no underwater operations
- Focus on areas between Praia da Luz and Brueckner’s former home
- Possible use of ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs
- Three-day operation unless significant evidence emerges
Sources say German cops – who have long insisted Brueckner is their man – pushed hard for this latest search, though they’re staying tight-lipped on what triggered it.
PRAIA DA LUZ: FOREVER CHANGED
The picturesque beach resort, once known as “Little Britain” for its popularity with UK tourists, has never recovered from the shadow cast by Madeleine’s disappearance.
Local resident Luis Marques, 68, who was there the night Madeleine vanished, said: “It was very weird at the time. This changed everything. All the televisions were here. A very complicated environment was created.”
The resort, with its whitewashed villas and family-friendly beaches, remains popular with British holidaymakers – but the spectre of that fateful night in May 2007 still haunts the narrow streets.
THE EVIDENCE AGAINST BRUECKNER
Police have built a disturbing picture of the German drifter:
- Criminal record dating back to age 15 for theft
- 1994: Sexually abused a child in Germany, fled to Portugal
- 2005: Raped American pensioner in Praia da Luz
- 2014: Convicted of child pornography possession
- 2016: Police found 391 photo files and 68 videos of child abuse at his property
Most chillingly, a hard drive found at his lair contained information that German investigators say indicates Madeleine is dead – though they have never revealed what this evidence shows.
HOPE AGAINST HOPE
As police prepare to begin their searches tomorrow morning, the world watches and waits – hoping this time might be different.
For the devastated McCann family, any discovery would at least bring the closure that has eluded them for nearly two decades.
But with Brueckner’s release date fast approaching and no charges yet filed, time is running out to deliver justice for little Madeleine McCann.
