‘She Didn’t Even Scream’: Witness in Madeleine McCann Case Reveals New Information

New information has been revealed by a key witness in the 16-year-long missing persons case of British toddler Madeleine McCann. The British toddler is thought to have been abducted on May 3, 2007, in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, where she and her parents were vacationing with several other families. The parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, went out to eat nearby and left the child sleeping at their resort with the other children, taking turns checking on them. But around 10 p.m., Madeline was nowhere to be found. Recent developments identified a German man, Christian Brueckner, as a key suspect. He was living in the area where Madeleine went missing, the news outlet reported.

The witness who released new information was a former acquaintance of Brueckner’s and has only been identified as Helge B. He has reportedly been under protection by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office.

Authorities have found little evidence after searching for the kidnapped girl for two decades.

There has been very little solid or concrete evidence found in the 16 years that have passed since Madeleine’s disappearance, despite a recent search around a reservoir near the site where she disappeared and ongoing investigations conducted by police in the UK, Germany, and Portugal, reported Yahoo News!.

Madeleine’s parents posted a heartbreaking tribute for her 20th birthday on Facebook writing, “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.” Her birthday came just a few days after the 16th anniversary of her kidnapping, per the New York Post. But finally, a key witness has revealed new information about the central suspect in the case.

A key witness revealed shocking information about a prime suspect in the case.

The witness, identified as Helge B., shared details about his interaction and relationship with Brueckner in an interview with German tabloid, Bild, per Yahoo News! He said he discovered several things that shocked him, including videos of the suspect sexually assaulting women, the outlet reported.

Helge B. reportedly didn’t see Brueckner until 2008, at a festival in Spain, when Brueckner asked Helge B. about business in Portugal and Helge B. responded that there had been too many police since the British girl disappeared, adding, “I don’t understand anyway how the little girl could disappear without a trace.”

Brueckner reportedly replied, “She didn’t even scream,” according to Helge B., and by the next day, Brueckner had disappeared. Helge B. shared that he believed Brueckner was trying to steal from the Portugal vacation lodgings, but saw the toddler sleeping and took her instead, adding, “That probably wasn’t planned at all. Whether he ended up killing her, I don’t know,” reported Yahoo News!

Brueckner is in prison for other crimes he committed.

The primary suspect in McCann’s case, 45-year-old Brueckner, was named a suspect last year, and is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping an elderly woman in 2005, in Algarve, Portugal, not far from where Madeline was last seen, per the New York Post.

In letters written from prison, Brueckner insisted he is innocent in Madeleine’s case, stating there “will never be a trial” and that there is “not even the smallest evidence” to connect him to the case, the news outlet reported.

Readers expressed shock and outrage at the circumstances that led to the little girl being kidnapped.

Though the case has remained unsolved for 16 years, readers of the Yahoo News! article covering the story were still shocked and horrified that the young girl was left alone in a foreign country, though her parents have tragically long paid the price for that decision.

One reader wrote: “When vacationing in a foreign country, the LAST thing we do is leave our kids alone for hours on end. That is pure negligence.”

“We can’t blame the parents for this monster’s actions,” another commented. “If the parents had been there at the time, they probably would have been asleep too. The outcome would have been unchanged.”

“God I hope this family can just get some closure,” another commenter wrote. “Yes, mom and dad did an incredibly negligent thing. But their daughter has paid for it and the parents are paying for it for the rest of their lives. I wouldn’t wish their hell on anyone except the person who did this.”