According to reports in the British press, the new dossier, now in the hands of Scotland Yard, was compiled by the German authorities and focuses on the case’s main suspect, Christian Brueckner. The documents contain alleged evidence and information that may strengthen the line of inquiry being pursued by the British and German police.

The British press also reports that the files contain photographs and accounts relating to the case. Scotland Yard states that the dossier contains “sensational evidence” regarding the case’s main suspect. The same sources add that these developments show that the authorities in both countries remain focused on Christian Brueckner. The German police also reveal that they have physical evidence corroborating Brueckner’s involvement in Madeleine McCann’s possible death; however, the evidence in question is not of a forensic nature.

Through the Met Police, Scotland Yard merely confirms that the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has been ongoing since 2011. In comments to the Daily Mail, the British police refer to ongoing discussions with the German police, as well as the Portuguese police, assuring that they will continue to pursue any lead that may be relevant to the inquiry.

Operation Grange

The current operation, known as Operation Grange, has the main objective of investigating Christian Bruckner. During the operation, an attempt was made to bring the suspect to the UK, but this was prevented by German law, which does not permit the extradition of individuals outside the European Union. Bruckner is also said not to have cooperated with the investigation when contacted by the British police.

The suspect

Christian Bruckner is reported to have been released from prison in November, after serving a sentence for sexual offences in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, where Madeleine McCann disappeared. Initially, he was placed under house arrest, but this measure was overturned by the German court. Since his release, he has been living in a tent in Kiel, in northern Germany, under police surveillance.

Brueckner continues to be regarded as a suspect in the disappearance and possible death of Madeleine McCann, with the police arguing that the suspect’s mobile phone was active in Praia da Luz prior to the child’s disappearance. The authorities also state that there is a hard drive containing photographs and videos that place him in Portugal at the time Maddie disappeared.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann

Madeleine McCann disappeared in the Algarve, at Praia da Luz in the municipality of Lagos, on 3 May 2007.

The case became one of the most media-covered in the world, and almost 20 years later, a solution has still not been found. During the investigation, the main suspicions fell on Kate and Gerry McCann, Maddie’s parents, with traces of blood and the smell of a dead body found in the holiday flat where they were staying and in the car they had hired.

The case led to a book written by Gonçalo Amaral, an investigator who was removed from the Judicial Police due to the impact of the case and for having been the main proponent of the suspicions surrounding the parents. The former investigator went so far as to write a book in which he substantiated his theory, and was subsequently accused of defamation.

In 2019, Netflix released the documentary The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, but Kate and Gerry McCann did not want to participate.

Currently, the main suspicions fall on Christian Brueckner, who allegedly even admitted to a cellmate that he had killed Madeleine McCann.