New Search Underway in Madeleine McCann Disappearance
Portuguese and German authorities have launched a fresh search in Portugal related to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, nearly 20 years after she went missing.
Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished on 3 May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve region. Her disappearance triggered a Europe-wide investigation and remains one of the most high-profile missing persons cases in the world.
On Monday, Portuguese police confirmed that searches were being conducted across 21 separate plots of land, under warrants issued by German prosecutors.
The operation is focused in the municipality of Lagos, near Praia da Luz, and is expected to continue through to Friday.
Renewed Madeleine McCann Search Intensifies in Southern Portugal
On Tuesday, a Portuguese fire engine and four vehicles carrying German police arrived at a new search site approximately 3.5 miles from the Praia da Luz resort, where Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007.
Access roads to the area—a large stretch of mostly scrubland—have been closed off as investigators concentrate efforts near a dilapidated building. Roughly 30 German police officers are expected to take part in the operation.
German authorities have led the investigation since 2020, when they named Christian Brückner as their prime suspect. The 48-year-old, currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal, is expected to be released later this year. While German investigators suspect Brückner of murdering Madeleine, insufficient evidence has so far prevented formal charges. Brückner has consistently denied any involvement in her disappearance.
Portuguese prosecutors have also designated Brückner as an official suspect—known as an “arguido”—and have agreed to hand over any evidence collected during the latest search to German authorities.
The German police are operating under a European warrant, approved by Portuguese officials, allowing them to search private property. The current operation covers 21 designated plots between the Ocean Club resort—where Madeleine was last seen—and an area where Brückner was reportedly staying at the time.
A previous search effort took place two years ago, focusing on a reservoir linked to Brückner. Authorities say he lived in the region between 2000 and 2017 and was found in possession of photos and videos placing him near the reservoir.
German authorities confirmed to Globa Now on Monday that criminal proceedings remain active in Portugal with support from local police.
On the night Madeleine McCann vanished, her parents were dining with friends at a nearby restaurant, while Madeleine and her younger twin siblings slept in a ground-floor apartment at the Praia da Luz resort. Her mother, Kate McCann, discovered she was missing around 10:00 p.m.
A 2022 German documentary revealed that Christian Brückner had occasionally worked as a handyman at the Ocean Club, the same resort where the McCanns were staying. German prosecutors have also cited mobile phone records and the timing of a car sale as key elements in their case against him.
Last month, Madeleine’s parents marked 18 years since her disappearance, reaffirming their “unwavering determination to leave no stone unturned.”
The UK’s Metropolitan Police, which launched its own inquiry—Operation Grange—in 2011, confirmed this week that it is aware of the ongoing searches being conducted by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Portugal. Their investigation remains active alongside the efforts of German and Portuguese authorities.
Conclusion
The renewed search underscores the enduring complexity and international scope of the Madeleine McCann case, which continues to grip public attention nearly two decades after her disappearance. With German, Portuguese, and British authorities still actively pursuing leads, the hope remains that new evidence could finally provide answers for Madeleine’s family—and bring a measure of closure to one of the world’s most haunting missing persons cases.
