TW: contains mentions of abduction and abuse.
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Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in 2007 made headlines for months. Almost 20 years later, Madeleine has still not been found, and no arrests linked to her abduction have been made.
That being said, in 2020, German police named Christian Brueckner, a convicted sexual abuser, as a prime suspect in McCann’s disappearance. However, Brueckner has yet to be charged with crimes relating to McCann.
New evidence has been found at an abandoned factory owned by Brueckner. This new evidence could help move the case forward. Despite being a prime suspect, Brueckner is currently set to be released from prison in September 2025, although he could be released early.
New evidence against Christian Brueckner
As mentioned above, Christian Brueckner was named a prime suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in 2020. According to The Sun, new evidence could further link Brueckner to Madeleine.
According to the Daily Mail, in 2016, 100 police officers raided an abandoned factory owned by Brueckner. The suspect bought the factory in 2008, a year after McCann was abducted. During the search, a grave was found that contained Brueckner’s dead dog.
However, buried underneath the dog, six USB sticks and two memory cards were found. As reported by The Sun, the USB sticks and memory cards contained stories written by Brueckner detailing his obsession with children and their abduction, as well as records of Skype calls with other paedophiles.
Moreover, German police found a case containing pictures of young girls aged four and five. The police also discovered over 75 children’s swimming costumes, as well as toys and small bikes, at the factory site.
A GPS device was found; according to the device, Brueckner was in the Algarve region in the years after Madeleine’s disappearance.
Christian Brueckner could be released early
Despite German police naming Christian Brueckner as a prime suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, they have yet to charge him with the crime. Moreover, in 2024, Brueckner was cleared of unrelated sex attacks in the same area where Madeleine vanished.
In 2020, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Australian news programme 60 Minutes:
We have strong evidence that Madeleine McCann is dead and that our suspect killed her.
Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping an elderly American woman in the Algarve the year before Madeleine disappeared. Brueckner’s release is set for September 2025; however, according to the Daily Mail, he could be released early following an appeal.
Per the report, Brueckner was cleared of his 2019 conviction and was found not guilty on five different counts of sex crimes in 2024.
A legal source revealed that the appeal would take time, but there is a chance Brueckner could be released early. They also added that if he is released early, he could claim compensation. Indeed, in Germany, a person wrongly imprisoned can be awarded up to £63 per day in jail.
Moreover, Brueckner’s lawyer briefly spoke about his client’s links to McCann’s disappearance:
I think in the UK there are still quite a lot of people who think that the parents were involved in the Maddie case, so from this point of view I think today's verdict will be very interesting for them.
Read more:
Madeleine McCann: Woman claiming to be the missing girl arrested on stalking charges
Madeleine McCann: Crucial witness to testify against prime suspect Christian B
Sources used:
The Sun: ‘UNSEEN MADDIE FILES Hard drive of sick images, kids’ swimsuits, masks and guns – 8 pieces of chilling evidence against Christian Brueckner’
Daily Mail: ‘Disturbing hard drive 'found buried in Madeleine McCann suspect's abandoned lair contains clues that the three-year-old is dead'
Daily Mail: ‘Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner 'is plotting way to get an early release and £200,000 in damages' after being cleared of rape charges’
