British police say a 49-year-old German man remains a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann as he prepares for release from prison in Germany this month. The man, identified as Christian Brueckner, lived in Portugal’s Algarve at the time the three-year-old vanished in 2007.
Brueckner, who is serving time for sexually assaulting a 72-year-old woman in the same region of the Algarve, refused a request for an interview with British police. He was named a suspect in 2020 but has not been charged in connection with McCann’s case. German police have previously said she is presumed dead and that Brueckner is likely responsible, though he denies involvement.
Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, sparking one of the world’s most high-profile missing child investigations. She has never been found.
In this gallery, we look back at one of the most publicized disappearances in recent history, and the recent leads that may provide answers after all these years. Click on for more.