Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
It's been 18 years since Madeleine McCann vanished during a family holiday to the Portuguese Algarve, and this week, new reports allege that evidence had been collected during the investigation that confirms the British toddler 'is dead'.
According to reports by both The Sun and The Telegraph, an abandoned factory owned by German national Christian Brueckner - who was first made a suspect in the devastating case back in 2020 - was raided by police in 2016.
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There, a mass of 'evidence' was allegedly discovered that allegedly suggests that McCann had been killed.
While Brueckner was named as a prime suspect, no charges have been formalised against him, and he has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
The three-year-old was first reported missing in 2007, after her parents - Gerry and Kate McCann - noticed she'd been taken from their Praia da Luz hotel apartment, with the little girl having remained missing since.
2007
The family had been holidaying in the area with Madeleine's twin younger siblings, Sean and Amelia.
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The three children had been left in the apartment whilst their parents enjoyed dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant - 100 yards away from the rental property - with the adults routinely checking on their sleeping children.
After Kate returned to the apartment to check on the children, she noticed Madeleine was missing and informed the police. In the days that followed, an extensive search of the area and its borders was arranged.
Despite initially announcing that the child was likely abducted and still in Portugal in the weeks that followed, after 100 days, the possibility of her death was officially suggested by police.
The description of a man who was allegedly seen carrying a child in the area was also released at the time, as the McCanns issued several media pleas for information.
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2008
Sketches of a number of suspects - including a 'creepy man' allegedly seen at the resort - were released based on descriptions given by British holidaymakers.
Leicester Police also joined the investigation from the UK side, interviewing those close to the McCanns - including those that Gerry and Kate enjoyed dinner with the night that Madeleine disappeared.
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In July, Portuguese police submit their final report, before the investigation is closed by authorities.
2009-2011
In 2009, a number of images detailing how Madeleine might look two years from her disappearance were released to the public.
Gerry also slammed both the Portuguese and UK police for not having looked for Madeleine 'for a very long time'.
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It was also around this time that the McCanns signed a book deal about Madeleine's disappearance, and former Prime Minister, David Cameron, requests that the Metropolitan Police join the official investigation.
2012-2014
The lead detective from the UK branch of the investigation - Det Ch Insp Andy Redwood - told viewers of BBC's Panorama in 2012 that he and his team are 'seeking to bring closure to the case' of Madeleine's disappearance, after Portuguese police announced the closure on their end.
An image of what the toddler would likely look like aged nine was also released to the public.
UK investigating officers announced in 2013 that 'a number of persons of interest' have been identified, after which Scotland Yard claimed that 'new evidence and new witnesses' were being interviewed.
An image of a man carrying a blonde child in the Praia da Luz area was released as part of a BBC Crimewatch episode around the same time.
A further search of Praia da Luz took place in 2014, after which four suspects are questioned by police before being released.
2015-2019
It is revealed in 2015 by the UK government that the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance has cost a staggering total of £10m, before announcing it would fund the Met Police inquiry until 2020.
2020-2023
In 2020, Brueckner was announced as a suspect in the case - though he was initially referred to as 'Christian B'.
German police admitted that, as a result, they will consider their investigation a murder inquiry, believing Madeline to 'likely be dead'.
It is around this time that the McCann family issue a message of gratitude for the help they've received over the last 13 years.
"All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice," Gerry and Kate told police in a statement. "We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace."
Soon after their initial announcement, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters admitted there wasn’t enough 'hard evidence' to see him linked to Madeleine's disappearance.
"All indication we have got that I can’t tell you points in the direction that Madeleine is dead," he informed Sky News in 2020.
"We’ve got things we cannot communicate that speak for the theory that Madeleine is dead, even if I have to admit that we don’t have the body."
In 2022, prosecutors announced that Brueckner had between charged with several sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, relating to other underage victims.
The following year, an acquaintance of Brueckner referred to in official documents as 'Helge B' told press that, at a recent music festival in Spain , the German had asked him if he still travelled to Portugal.
'Helge B' claimed to have responded telling Brueckner that there were now too many police checks since Madeleine's disappearance, telling him, "I don't understand anyway how the little girl could disappear without a trace."
They allege that Brueckner reportedly replied: "She didn't even scream."
New reports of evidence that McCann 'is dead'
As mentioned, reports surrounding an alleged development in the case was announced this week, however, with a batch of evidence allegedly pointing to Madeleine's murder being brought to light.
A hard drive, USB sticks and a collection of memory cards, were discovered in the Brueckner's abandoned factory in 2016, as per an investigation carried out by journalists at The Sun and Channel 4.
As well as content related to the McCann case, the material also allegedly contained images of other children between ages of four and five.
Along with the hard drives, masks, a collection of unlicensed guns and ammunition, children’s toys, several bikes, and as many as 75 children's swimming costumes were also found at the disused property.
This evidence is to be the focus of a brand new Channel 4 documentary, Madeleine McCann: The Unseen Evidence, which will air tonight.
Responding to the alleged evidence of the German's involvement, a spokesperson for Braunschweig police previously told LADbible: "I can't comment on the documentary because I haven't seen it.
"In my opinion, the article in The Sun doesn't contain any real news and also contains few direct references to Madeleine McCann.
"I assume the article was published only because of the anniversary of McCann's disappearance and not because of the timeliness of the alleged evidence."
Brueckner is currently serving time in prison for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz.
He was acquitted of these claims last year, however, and could be released as early as September 2025, if prosecutors are unable to link him to Madeleine's disappearance.
Topics: Madeleine McCann, UK News, Crime
Rhianna Benson