What to Know
On May 3, 2007, three-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing during a family vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Her parents were out to dinner nearby while the children slept. When McCann’s mother checked on the children, she discovered her daughter missing. In the nearly 20 years since her disappearance, the case has been heavily covered but has many ups and downs in terms of gaining any sort of resolution. McCann has yet to be found, and German police believe her to be dead. They have identified German man Christian Brueckner as the strongest suspect. However, he has never been charged. But there may be new evidence tying him to the case.
This is a major step forward.
Sources in Germany told The Sun exclusively that a dossier was handed over to Metropolitan police officers from Operation Grange.
Currently, Operation Grange is a missing persons case because Madeleine McCann has never been found dead or alive. German investigators maintain that they have physical evidence linked to Brueckner that shows Madeleine is dead. However, they have no forensic evidence.
German police have been given orders to keep Brueckner safe, the outlet reported, saying that they lost track of him recently during his 24-hour surveillance.
Extraditing Brueckner to the UK is a “long way off,” but the handing over of the dossier does show a significant shift for Metropolitan police.
It shows that the officers are taking claims against Brueckner seriously.
Some shocking evidence was revealed in 2025.
In May 2025, The Sun did an investigation that revealed new evidence found in Brueckner’s possession that showed his obsession with young kids.
Children’s toys and clothes, as well as masks, chemicals and guns were found in his abandoned lair. Also found was a hard drive of pictures, which German investigators were keeping secret. But the hard drives are why they believe Madeleine is dead.
Much of the evidence was found unintentionally in an unused factory he bought for £20,000 in 2008, a year after the girl disappeared.
Local police found Brueckner’s dead dog on the property, and underneath, they found a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards. On them was highly disturbing material.
Police found stories by Brueckner talking about his obsession with snatching children. He described drugging a mom and daughter outside of a preschool, and abusing a four-year-old blonde girl.
Also found were Skype conversations with other pedophiles, including one where he told someone he wanted to “capture something small and use it for days.”
They also found a shocking photo at an important location.
Among the files was a nude selfie that links Brueckner to Arade Dam, a key location 35 miles from where Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz. Officers also found an insurance claim signed by the alleged kidnapper that showed he had a crash at a festival where he allegedly told a friend the girl “did not scream.”
It proves for the first time that Christian Brueckner was at a festival in April 2008 when he practically confessed to killing the girl.
This year, a source told the outlet “These developments are huge — it shows the Met’s interest in Brueckner is real. They are after him — like the Germans.”
In 2025, Metropolitan police seemingly stepped up their game on the case — they even flew back to Portugal to re-interview witnesses.
“Our investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance has been active since 2011,” the police said. “We remain in close discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal. We will continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.”
Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007. She would be 22 years old today, and the case remains open.
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