The Maddie McCann case is one of the most high-profile child disappearances in the world. Madeleine McCann, aged three, disappeared on May 3, 2007 in Praia da Luza seaside resort in Portugal, where his family was vacationing at the time. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, leave Madeleine and her two brothers asleep in their holiday apartment to go to dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant. During one of her regular checks, Kate discovers that Madeleine is missing… Portuguese police’s initial investigation criticized for numerous errorsincluding contamination of the crime scene. In September 2007, the McCanns were officially named suspects, but this accusation was dropped in July 2008 due to lack of evidence.
In 2011, British police launched Operation Grange to re-examine the case. In June 2020, a German man, Christian Brückner, already incarcerated for other crimes, is identified as the main suspect by the German authorities. However, to date, no definitive evidence has been found to solve the case. Christian Brückner was tried for two sexual assaults and three rapes committed between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal. The verdict fell this Tuesday, October 8, after several months of hearing, and according to information from Mirror, he was acquitted, and could be released in 2025, after having served a previous sentence for rape. In their indictment, prosecutors described the accused as a repeat sex offender, “dangerous psychopathic sadist” but this does not seem to have been enough for the Brunswick court. Indeed, the judges considered that the traces of DNA were lacking. Following this verdict and the release of the main suspect in the disappearance of little Maddie, German justice hopes to finally be able to lift the veil on the potential involvement of Christian Brückner in this affair.
The Maddie McCann affair, an unsolved mystery…
Things seem to be moving forward somewhat since during a trial held last June, new elements resurfaced and raised questions about the suspect’s potential guilt. In fact, the English investigator Titus Stampa claimed to have discovered a secret email box and a hard drive belonging to the 47-year-old German. According to his statements, in Christian Brückner’s Hotmail account were found multiple emails “linked to Maddie’s murder”.
The man indicated that written evidence with videos “horrible” of sexual abuse have been found and could further incriminate the German criminal in the Maddie McCann affair. The police were also able to note themselves on the hard drive the presence of other documents described as “cruel and violent”. “The hard drive is also related to this matter, but I am not authorized to give more details about it”assured Titus Stampa before the Court. Maddie McCann case remains an unsolved mysterywhich still gives rise to many theories today. Madeleine’s parents continue to search for their daughter and call for the investigation to continue, hoping one day to finally discover the truth behind her disappearance.
