The mystery around Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has captivated the world for over a dozen years now. Madeleine was only 3 when she went missing from her bedroom in the rental at the Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007. The girl was holidaying with her parents, Kate and Gerry, who were dining with friends at a nearby restaurant. Earlier this year, the missing girl’s family marked her 20th birthday.
In the years that followed, the case and subsequent investigation into the missing case garnered global media attention. Detectives have come up with a string of theories, suggesting what may have happened to the girl over the years. During the initial stages, they even suspected the involvement of Kate and Gerry McCann, per CNN.
Nonetheless, Madeleine was never found. The most recent development in the case came in April 2022 when Portuguese police identified Christian Brueckner as a suspect. They never charged Brueckner in connection with the disappearance.
A Netflix docuseries The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann covers the notorious case and is now available to stream on the service.
Madeleine McCann update: When did the girl go missing & has she been found?
According to Reuters, on May 3, 2007, Madeleine McCann stayed behind in her room at the Portugese holiday apartment Praia da Luz with her two younger siblings. Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann went to a nearby restaurant for dinner with friends as someone broke into the apartment while the children slept. Madeleine was nowhere to be found and local police concluded it was a kidnapping.
In the following months, local police along with hundreds of volunteers joined the efforts to fin teh three-year-old but to no avail. The disappearance then sparked a media frenzy in Britain as well as portugal. Media outlets across the globe extensively covered the on-goings. Portugese police even questioned the parents, Kate and Gerry, as suspects were dropped the investigation due to lack of evidence.
Per CNN, In July 2008, Portugese authorities ended the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance. But, over the years, her family maintained the case’s momentum and even published their own account titled “Madeleine” in 2011. There were multiple potential suspects, including a man who assaulted several British girls on vacation in Portugal around the same time. However, none of these leads proved consequential in solving the mystery.
According to the outlet, in June 2020, British and German authorities began looking into a 43-year-old German man in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance. German media later identified him as Christian Brueckner, who once lived in Portugal’s Praia de Luz. Moreover, he was a convicted rapist and child sex abuser, serving prison time for a 72-year-old woman’s rape in Portugal.
Last year in April, the probe into the new suspect ramped up as Portuguese prosecutors identified Brueckner as a suspect. They believe he likely killed the girl. German authorities prompted a new search on the Arade reservoir in Portugal based on a recent tip. However, the search failed to find aything conclusive and authorities eventually called off the same, per New York Times.
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance still remains unsolved.
