Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Madeleine McCann disappearance ‘could be solved within months,’ prosecutor says

Police have received ‘very interesting tips,’ prosecutor says

Samuel Osborne
Monday 07 June 2021 15:37 BST
Madeleine McCann: A timeline of key dates and developments
Leer en Español

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann believe the case could be solved in months.

German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters has said his team is “pleased” with the progress of the investigation since they announced Christian Brueckner as their prime suspect last year and said they had received “very interesting tips”.

“We hope we can solve the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, although this will take several months,” he told The Mirror.

“We are pleased with the response to our appeal for witnesses. But ­unfortunately not all our questions have been answered.”

He said Brueckner will be interviewed “at the end of the ­investigation,” adding: “When we have completed our investigations, we will inform the public about the result and then also about further details.”

Convicted pedophile Christian Bruckner is suspected of murdering Madeleine
Convicted pedophile Christian Bruckner is suspected of murdering Madeleine (Italian Carabinieri)

Brueckner, a convicted pedophile, is suspected of murdering Madeleine more than 10 years ago.

He was sentenced to seven years in jail for raping an American woman in Portugal in 2005 and is now reportedly being investigated over the disappearances of other children, as well as Madeleine.

He was living in a camper van close to Praia da Luz, on the Algarve, when Madeleine disappeared in May 2007.

He is also alleged to have confessed to abducting the three-year-old while talking to a criminal associate at a bar.

Brueckner denies being involved in Madeleine’s appearance and has refused to talk to police.

It is believed he has been under investigation for four years, Sky News reported.

Last year, investigators revealed his mobile “pinged” close to the resort where the McCann family were staying on the night Madeleine vanished.

Mr Wolters said his team have not tracked down who Brueckner called that night.

He also told The Mirror that authorities have not spoken to Kate and Gerry McCann about the case.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in