Portuguese prosecutors said on Thursday (21) that a man was formally identified as a suspect in the disappearance of British child Madeleine McCann 15 years ago.
It is the first time Portuguese prosecutors have identified an official suspect in the case since Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine’s parents, were named suspects in 2007. They were later exonerated.
Madeleine disappeared from her bedroom on May 3, 2007, while on a family holiday in the Algarve region of Portugal, while her parents had dinner with friends nearby at the Praia da Luz resort.
Prosecutors in Faro, the main city in the Algarve, did not release the man’s name, but said in a statement that he had been identified as a suspect by German authorities at his request.
German police said in June 2020 that Madeleine was presumed dead and that child abuser and drug dealer Christian Brueckner was likely responsible.
But since then, Brueckner has not been charged with any crimes related to the disappearance. He is behind bars in Germany for raping a woman in the same area of ​​the Algarve region where Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
Brueckner denied being involved in McCann’s disappearance.
Prosecutors said the investigation was carried out with the cooperation of British and German authorities.
Brueckner lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007 and robbed hotels and holiday apartments, according to court documents seen by Reuters in 2020. He also falsified passports and was caught stealing diesel from a Portuguese port.
The Portuguese Judiciary Police handed over documents with hundreds of names related to Madeleine’s case, including Christian Brueckner, to British authorities in 2012, according to the force.
German police received their first tip linking Brueckner to Madeleine’s case in 2013.
The reasons that led Portuguese prosecutors to identify a suspect are now unclear, but may relate to Portugal’s 15-year statute of limitations for crimes carrying a maximum prison sentence of 10 years or more.
Next month will mark 15 years since Madeleine’s disappearance.
Source: CNN Brasil
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