Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Madeleine McCann, Crime, UK News
Jess Battison
There has been a major update in the case of Madeleine McCann.
Over 18 years since the then three-year-old vanished in Portugal, police are set to start fresh searches near the spot where she was last seen.
German police are said to have requested these searches, with the first set to start tomorrow (3 June).
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It’s expected they will take place between Praia da Luz and a house near the holiday resort where Christian Brueckner used to live.
He was initially named by German officials as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance back in June 2020.
The man was previously acquitted of sex crime charges in a separate case and could be released as early as September. It’s expected that he would then flee the country.
German prosecutors were previously said to therefore be ‘rushing’ to seek charges against him.
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These fresh searches will be the first in Portugal in over two years. Back in May 2023, searchers at Arade Dam (described then as Brueckner’s ‘little paradise) came to nothing.
This near-week long operation at the remote dam 40 minutes outside Praia da Luz were the first major searches in the country for McCann in nine years.
A well-placed Portuguese source confirmed that this week’s operation was scheduled get underway tomorrow, but said some preparation work may take place beforehand.
He said: “They will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine’s body.”
It's understood that Portuguese police have agreed to co-operate with this search after it was approved by the country's judicial authorities. German police and prosecutors had made the formal request.
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Unless anything relevant emerges, it's expected the search will last about three days.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: “We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
“The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary.”
In June 2014, British police did digs in Praia de Luz with the operation involving sniffer dogs trained in detecting bodies and ground-penetrating radar.
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These were linked to the leading police theory in the IK at the time that the young girl had died during a break-in and burglars had dumped her body nearby.
The digs also failed to produce any evidence indicating Madeleine's whereabouts.
And in July 2020, Portuguese police firefighters searched three wells for her body. But again, they failed to find any trace of the toddler.
Marking 18 years since her disappearance last month, her family said in a statement: "No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us, every day, but especially on her special day. We continue to 'celebrate' her as the very beautiful and unique person she is."
"We miss her," it added.