Portuguese authorities have launched a significant operation in Lagos, the region where Madeleine McCann vanished in May 2007. This initiative, running from Monday to Friday, involves extensive investigations including search warrants in the vicinity of Praia da Luz, the holiday resort from which she disappeared.
Portugal’s Judicial Police confirmed that any evidence collected would be forwarded to German federal police as part of the ongoing investigation. Search activities will focus on the area between Praia da Luz and a property once occupied by Christian Brueckner, the man under investigation for McCann’s suspected abduction. Investigators aim to uncover any potential remains of the missing child, who was just three years old at the time of her disappearance.
Prosecutors in Braunschweig noted that “criminal procedural measures” are being coordinated by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) alongside Portuguese officials. The Metropolitan Police in London are also aware of and support the operations being conducted in Portugal.
Madeleine’s disappearance occurred on May 3, 2007, just days before her fourth birthday. Despite nearly two decades of inquiries, no one has yet been charged concerning her case. While Brueckner, who has long been a person of interest, is not formally charged with her disappearance, he is being investigated on suspicion of murder. He spent a considerable amount of time living in Portugal, including the period surrounding Madeleine’s abduction, and has consistently denied any involvement.
Currently, Brueckner is serving a seven-year sentence in Germany for the rape of an American tourist in Portugal in 2005, as sentenced by a Braunschweig court in 2019. The investigation into Madeleine’s case remains active, reflecting the ongoing commitment to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.