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0 / 38 Fotos
Brief explanation
- First of all, let's get to know Madeleine. She had blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and a dark strip on the iris of her right eye. She was three years old at the time of her disappearance.
© Getty Images
1 / 38 Fotos
The McCanns
- Maddie's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, were employed as physicians. Maddie was born in 2003, and they welcomed twins in 2005.
© Getty Images
2 / 38 Fotos
Spring vacation
- The McCanns began their spring break on April 28, 2007, at Praia da Luz, a resort in Portugal's Algarve region.
© Getty Images
3 / 38 Fotos
5A
- The McCanns stayed at 5A, Rua Dr Agostinho da Silva. This was a ground-floor apartment with two public entrances—one at the front and another at the back.
© Getty Images
4 / 38 Fotos
The Tapas Seven
- They were vacationing with a group of seven friends, known as the "Tapas Seven," who collectively had eight children. The group had dinner at 8:30 pm in the resort's tapas restaurant.
© Getty Images
5 / 38 Fotos
Children left alone
- The Seven had booked their table for the last night of the holiday. The parents left the children in the apartments, which weren't far from the restaurant.
© Getty Images
6 / 38 Fotos
The father returned to check on them
- Around 9:05 pm, Gerry went to 5A to check on his children. They were sleeping in a bedroom next to the front door. Madeleine was by the door, and the twins were in the middle of the room. Everything seemed fine, except the door was more open than he had remembered.
© Getty Images
7 / 38 Fotos
The Tanner sighting
- Shortly after, Jane Tanner (one of the Seven) reportedly witnessed a man holding a child, now referred to as the "Tanner sighting."
© Getty Images
8 / 38 Fotos
False lead
- The investigation now had a timeline, revealing that the man was merely a tourist, heading back from the Ocean Club on that particular night.
© Getty Images
9 / 38 Fotos
Maddie vanished
- At 9:30 pm, a member of the Tapas Seven named Matthew Oldfield volunteered to inspect 5A, but didn't get a clear view of the room. At 10:00 pm, Kate checked and discovered that Madeleine was not present.
© Getty Images
10 / 38 Fotos
"Someone's taken her"
- Kate rushed back to the Tapas Seven, shouting that "Madeleine's gone! Someone's taken her!"
© Getty Images
11 / 38 Fotos
Notifying the Portuguese police
- Portuguese police officers were informed by midnight. Around 60 staff and guests searched until 4:30 am.
© Getty Images
12 / 38 Fotos
Additional lead
- At 10:00 pm, the exact moment Kate notified authorities about her daughter's disappearance, tourists Martin and Mary Smith allegedly spotted an uneasy man carrying a young blonde girl at a distance of 500 yards (460 m) from 5A. With the Tanner sighting ruled out, police turned their attention to this lead.
© Getty Images
13 / 38 Fotos
Mistakes during crucial moments were made
- Numerous errors occurred during the crucial hours following the disappearance, which led to conflicts between the McCanns and the Portuguese authorities throughout the investigation.
© Getty Images
14 / 38 Fotos
Police mistakes
- Border and maritime authorities were not promptly informed for several hours. According to Kate, there were no inspections of residences or road closures.
© Getty Images
15 / 38 Fotos
Missed opportunities
- Furthermore, the request for motorway CCTV was not made, resulting in inadequate monitoring of the roads. Interpol took five days to issue a global alert regarding the missing persons.
© Getty Images
16 / 38 Fotos
Scene tampering crime
- A lot of people at the resort were not questioned, and the place where the crime happened wasn't kept safe like it should have been. The evidence from 5A was sent to three different labs, and about 20 people had been inside 5A before they stopped anyone else from going in.
© Getty Images
17 / 38 Fotos
Crime scene rented out
- Police reports show that 5A was empty for a month after Maddie disappeared, and was then rented out to tourists until tests continued in 2007.
© Getty Images
18 / 38 Fotos
Suspects?
- The news spread quickly and the big media attention probably made things tougher for the police, who seemed to be suspicious of the McCanns from the beginning.
© Getty Images
19 / 38 Fotos
Marketing Maddie
- The McCanns have faced criticism for how they handled the publicity around Maddie's disappearance. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gerry explained that their approach was to maintain public attention on their daughter.
© Getty Images
20 / 38 Fotos
Unprecedented focus
- The McCanns established a PR team and a fund to raise both money and awareness. With the advent of Twitter and social media, the case garnered unparalleled attention globally.
© Getty Images
21 / 38 Fotos
Robert Murat
- Robert Murat, a man with British-Portuguese nationality, became the initial "arguido" (formal suspect) twelve days after the disappearance of Maddie. He resided approximately 150 yards (137 m) away from 5A, where the man from the "Tanner sighting" was heading.
© Getty Images
22 / 38 Fotos
Cleared
- Several witnesses reportedly spotted Murat and an investigation was conducted on May 15, although he was later cleared of suspicion in 2008.
© Getty Images
23 / 38 Fotos
Car rental
- The McCanns rented a Renault Scenic car on May 27. It is said that sniffer dogs alerted inside the vehicle, suggesting the possibility of Madeleine having been present. A German journalist questioned the McCanns about their role on June 6.
© Getty Images
24 / 38 Fotos
Sol accuses the McCanns
- Sol, a Portuguese newspaper, issued a critical article on the McCanns around that time. The piece highlighted supposed contradictions in their version of events from the night Maddie went missing.
© Getty Images
25 / 38 Fotos
Police develop suspicion
- In July 2007, the police began to entertain the suspicion that there might not have been an abduction, and instead, Madeleine had possibly died in the apartment.
© Getty Images
26 / 38 Fotos
McCanns came back to UK
- Although DNA tests from the car were inconclusive, the McCanns were declared "arguidos" on September 7th and subsequently flew back to the UK after two days.
© Getty Images
27 / 38 Fotos
Gonçalo Amaral
- Since then, there haven't been many developments. Chief Inspector Gonçalo Amaral (pictured) stepped away from the case a few months after the McCanns departed Portugal, later releasing a book accusing them of wrongdoing. The McCanns attempted to sue Amaral but were unsuccessful.
© Getty Images
28 / 38 Fotos
Reward for missing individuals
- The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann took a new turn when the Portuguese Attorney General closed the case on July 21, 2008, but reopened it in 2013. The search has been jointly handled by the UK authorities. Despite numerous inquiries and leads, no definitive conclusions have been reached. As of 2019, the inquiry has incurred expenses of approximately £12 million (around US$15 million). In Portugal, the McCanns are no longer considered suspects, and in the UK, they are presumed innocent.
© Getty Images
29 / 38 Fotos
Another suspect identified
- In June 2020, it was reported that the Madeleine McCann disappearance case had a new suspect. The suspect, Christian Brueckner, is a German man in his mid-forties who is currently incarcerated. According to BBC, Portuguese prosecutors officially considered Brueckner a suspect in April 2022 but did not disclose his name publicly.
© Getty Images
30 / 38 Fotos
Criminal record
- The man is currently in jail for sex offenses, and German authorities have verified that he has two prior convictions for "sexual contact with girls." Additionally, he has a history of committing thefts in hotels and vacation spots, as well as dealing drugs.
© Getty Images
31 / 38 Fotos
He was around
- During the period when Madeleine went missing, he has been associated with Praia da Luz. Authorities have established a connection between him and a residence close to the town, along with a VW van and a Jaguar (similar to the ones depicted in these pictures).
© Reuters/Getty Images
32 / 38 Fotos
Appeals
- The German police are looking into the case as a murder investigation, but there's no clear evidence yet if Madeleine is alive or not. They've asked anyone who knows something to speak up, thinking there might be others who have information about what happened.
© Getty Images
33 / 38 Fotos
Approaching end
- They verified that the suspect got a phone call in the hours before Madeleine went missing, and they think the person on the other end of the line has crucial information. People who might have been unsure about speaking up before are now urged to do so, even after all this time has gone by.
© Reuters
34 / 38 Fotos
Scotland Yard steps back
- In 2022, Scotland Yard announced the conclusion of its 11-year investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, while authorities in Portugal affirmed that their inquiry would persist. On the eve of the 15th anniversary of her disappearance, Kate and Gerry McCann shared on Facebook that this year "feels no harder than any other but no easier either." "Many people talk about the need for 'closure.' It's always felt like a strange term. Regardless of the outcome, Madeleine will always be our daughter, and a truly horrific crime has been committed. These things will remain. It is true, though, that uncertainty creates weakness; knowledge and certainty give strength, and for this reason, our need for answers, for the truth, is essential." They also conveyed gratitude to the UK, Portuguese, and German authorities for their efforts, and to their supporters for their well-wishes. "It is a huge comfort to know that regardless of time passed, Madeleine is still in people's hearts and minds. Thank you," they said.
© Getty Images
35 / 38 Fotos
Not her
- In February 2023, a 22-year-old Polish woman, Julia Wandelt, claimed to be the answer to the Madeleine McCann mystery, asserting that even the McCanns had considered her claim and accepted her offer for a DNA test. Wandelt, sharing her story on Instagram, pointed to shared characteristics with Madeleine and claimed to be a victim of sexual abuse by a key suspect in the case. However, subsequent DNA proved that Wandelt is not the missing McCann.
© Getty Images
36 / 38 Fotos
Media coverage
- In October 2023, BBC aired a documentary about the case that has been considered "the most widely covered missing-person case in modern history," as reported by The Daily Telegraph. Sources: (BBC) (Telegraph) (Independent) (DailyMail) (SIC)
© Getty Images
37 / 38 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 38 Fotos
Brief explanation
- First of all, let's get to know Madeleine. She had blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and a dark strip on the iris of her right eye. She was three years old at the time of her disappearance.
© Getty Images
1 / 38 Fotos
The McCanns
- Maddie's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, were employed as physicians. Maddie was born in 2003, and they welcomed twins in 2005.
© Getty Images
2 / 38 Fotos
Spring vacation
- The McCanns began their spring break on April 28, 2007, at Praia da Luz, a resort in Portugal's Algarve region.
© Getty Images
3 / 38 Fotos
5A
- The McCanns stayed at 5A, Rua Dr Agostinho da Silva. This was a ground-floor apartment with two public entrances—one at the front and another at the back.
© Getty Images
4 / 38 Fotos
The Tapas Seven
- They were vacationing with a group of seven friends, known as the "Tapas Seven," who collectively had eight children. The group had dinner at 8:30 pm in the resort's tapas restaurant.
© Getty Images
5 / 38 Fotos
Children left alone
- The Seven had booked their table for the last night of the holiday. The parents left the children in the apartments, which weren't far from the restaurant.
© Getty Images
6 / 38 Fotos
The father returned to check on them
- Around 9:05 pm, Gerry went to 5A to check on his children. They were sleeping in a bedroom next to the front door. Madeleine was by the door, and the twins were in the middle of the room. Everything seemed fine, except the door was more open than he had remembered.
© Getty Images
7 / 38 Fotos
The Tanner sighting
- Shortly after, Jane Tanner (one of the Seven) reportedly witnessed a man holding a child, now referred to as the "Tanner sighting."
© Getty Images
8 / 38 Fotos
False lead
- The investigation now had a timeline, revealing that the man was merely a tourist, heading back from the Ocean Club on that particular night.
© Getty Images
9 / 38 Fotos
Maddie vanished
- At 9:30 pm, a member of the Tapas Seven named Matthew Oldfield volunteered to inspect 5A, but didn't get a clear view of the room. At 10:00 pm, Kate checked and discovered that Madeleine was not present.
© Getty Images
10 / 38 Fotos
"Someone's taken her"
- Kate rushed back to the Tapas Seven, shouting that "Madeleine's gone! Someone's taken her!"
© Getty Images
11 / 38 Fotos
Notifying the Portuguese police
- Portuguese police officers were informed by midnight. Around 60 staff and guests searched until 4:30 am.
© Getty Images
12 / 38 Fotos
Additional lead
- At 10:00 pm, the exact moment Kate notified authorities about her daughter's disappearance, tourists Martin and Mary Smith allegedly spotted an uneasy man carrying a young blonde girl at a distance of 500 yards (460 m) from 5A. With the Tanner sighting ruled out, police turned their attention to this lead.
© Getty Images
13 / 38 Fotos
Mistakes during crucial moments were made
- Numerous errors occurred during the crucial hours following the disappearance, which led to conflicts between the McCanns and the Portuguese authorities throughout the investigation.
© Getty Images
14 / 38 Fotos
Police mistakes
- Border and maritime authorities were not promptly informed for several hours. According to Kate, there were no inspections of residences or road closures.
© Getty Images
15 / 38 Fotos
Missed opportunities
- Furthermore, the request for motorway CCTV was not made, resulting in inadequate monitoring of the roads. Interpol took five days to issue a global alert regarding the missing persons.
© Getty Images
16 / 38 Fotos
Scene tampering crime
- A lot of people at the resort were not questioned, and the place where the crime happened wasn't kept safe like it should have been. The evidence from 5A was sent to three different labs, and about 20 people had been inside 5A before they stopped anyone else from going in.
© Getty Images
17 / 38 Fotos
Crime scene rented out
- Police reports show that 5A was empty for a month after Maddie disappeared, and was then rented out to tourists until tests continued in 2007.
© Getty Images
18 / 38 Fotos
Suspects?
- The news spread quickly and the big media attention probably made things tougher for the police, who seemed to be suspicious of the McCanns from the beginning.
© Getty Images
19 / 38 Fotos
Marketing Maddie
- The McCanns have faced criticism for how they handled the publicity around Maddie's disappearance. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gerry explained that their approach was to maintain public attention on their daughter.
© Getty Images
20 / 38 Fotos
Unprecedented focus
- The McCanns established a PR team and a fund to raise both money and awareness. With the advent of Twitter and social media, the case garnered unparalleled attention globally.
© Getty Images
21 / 38 Fotos
Robert Murat
- Robert Murat, a man with British-Portuguese nationality, became the initial "arguido" (formal suspect) twelve days after the disappearance of Maddie. He resided approximately 150 yards (137 m) away from 5A, where the man from the "Tanner sighting" was heading.
© Getty Images
22 / 38 Fotos
Cleared
- Several witnesses reportedly spotted Murat and an investigation was conducted on May 15, although he was later cleared of suspicion in 2008.
© Getty Images
23 / 38 Fotos
Car rental
- The McCanns rented a Renault Scenic car on May 27. It is said that sniffer dogs alerted inside the vehicle, suggesting the possibility of Madeleine having been present. A German journalist questioned the McCanns about their role on June 6.
© Getty Images
24 / 38 Fotos
Sol accuses the McCanns
- Sol, a Portuguese newspaper, issued a critical article on the McCanns around that time. The piece highlighted supposed contradictions in their version of events from the night Maddie went missing.
© Getty Images
25 / 38 Fotos
Police develop suspicion
- In July 2007, the police began to entertain the suspicion that there might not have been an abduction, and instead, Madeleine had possibly died in the apartment.
© Getty Images
26 / 38 Fotos
McCanns came back to UK
- Although DNA tests from the car were inconclusive, the McCanns were declared "arguidos" on September 7th and subsequently flew back to the UK after two days.
© Getty Images
27 / 38 Fotos
Gonçalo Amaral
- Since then, there haven't been many developments. Chief Inspector Gonçalo Amaral (pictured) stepped away from the case a few months after the McCanns departed Portugal, later releasing a book accusing them of wrongdoing. The McCanns attempted to sue Amaral but were unsuccessful.
© Getty Images
28 / 38 Fotos
Reward for missing individuals
- The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann took a new turn when the Portuguese Attorney General closed the case on July 21, 2008, but reopened it in 2013. The search has been jointly handled by the UK authorities. Despite numerous inquiries and leads, no definitive conclusions have been reached. As of 2019, the inquiry has incurred expenses of approximately £12 million (around US$15 million). In Portugal, the McCanns are no longer considered suspects, and in the UK, they are presumed innocent.
© Getty Images
29 / 38 Fotos
Another suspect identified
- In June 2020, it was reported that the Madeleine McCann disappearance case had a new suspect. The suspect, Christian Brueckner, is a German man in his mid-forties who is currently incarcerated. According to BBC, Portuguese prosecutors officially considered Brueckner a suspect in April 2022 but did not disclose his name publicly.
© Getty Images
30 / 38 Fotos
Criminal record
- The man is currently in jail for sex offenses, and German authorities have verified that he has two prior convictions for "sexual contact with girls." Additionally, he has a history of committing thefts in hotels and vacation spots, as well as dealing drugs.
© Getty Images
31 / 38 Fotos
He was around
- During the period when Madeleine went missing, he has been associated with Praia da Luz. Authorities have established a connection between him and a residence close to the town, along with a VW van and a Jaguar (similar to the ones depicted in these pictures).
© Reuters/Getty Images
32 / 38 Fotos
Appeals
- The German police are looking into the case as a murder investigation, but there's no clear evidence yet if Madeleine is alive or not. They've asked anyone who knows something to speak up, thinking there might be others who have information about what happened.
© Getty Images
33 / 38 Fotos
Approaching end
- They verified that the suspect got a phone call in the hours before Madeleine went missing, and they think the person on the other end of the line has crucial information. People who might have been unsure about speaking up before are now urged to do so, even after all this time has gone by.
© Reuters
34 / 38 Fotos
Scotland Yard steps back
- In 2022, Scotland Yard announced the conclusion of its 11-year investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, while authorities in Portugal affirmed that their inquiry would persist. On the eve of the 15th anniversary of her disappearance, Kate and Gerry McCann shared on Facebook that this year "feels no harder than any other but no easier either." "Many people talk about the need for 'closure.' It's always felt like a strange term. Regardless of the outcome, Madeleine will always be our daughter, and a truly horrific crime has been committed. These things will remain. It is true, though, that uncertainty creates weakness; knowledge and certainty give strength, and for this reason, our need for answers, for the truth, is essential." They also conveyed gratitude to the UK, Portuguese, and German authorities for their efforts, and to their supporters for their well-wishes. "It is a huge comfort to know that regardless of time passed, Madeleine is still in people's hearts and minds. Thank you," they said.
© Getty Images
35 / 38 Fotos
Not her
- In February 2023, a 22-year-old Polish woman, Julia Wandelt, claimed to be the answer to the Madeleine McCann mystery, asserting that even the McCanns had considered her claim and accepted her offer for a DNA test. Wandelt, sharing her story on Instagram, pointed to shared characteristics with Madeleine and claimed to be a victim of sexual abuse by a key suspect in the case. However, subsequent DNA proved that Wandelt is not the missing McCann.
© Getty Images
36 / 38 Fotos
Media coverage
- In October 2023, BBC aired a documentary about the case that has been considered "the most widely covered missing-person case in modern history," as reported by The Daily Telegraph. Sources: (BBC) (Telegraph) (Independent) (DailyMail) (SIC)
© Getty Images
37 / 38 Fotos
The mystery continues: Madeleine McCann, the most reported missing-person case in modern history
Ongoing developments shed light on complicated investigation
© Getty Images
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal continues to captivate the world with ongoing developments. Recently, German investigators unearthed crucial online conversations that may hold the key to unraveling the case. In a compelling interview on BBC's 'Panorama,' the lead prosecutor revealed the discovery of online chats between the prime suspect, Christian Brueckner, and another individual, that could be a "hint" as to what happened.
The McCanns, whose then three-year-old daughter went missing in May 2007 while on holiday in the Algarve, were designated as suspects in the Portuguese investigation in September 2007, a status that was lifted in 2008. Portuguese police have now acknowledged that their investigation into Madeleine's disappearance was poorly handled. They also expressed support for the German authorities' suspicion that Christian Brueckner may have killed Madeleine.
Brueckner, residing near the resort while the McCann family were on holiday, was officially named a suspect in the case in 2022. He is currently serving a prison term in Germany for drug trafficking and the sexual assault of a woman in the same area where Madeleine disappeared.
Wish to know more? In this gallery, uncover the complexities of one of the most challenging criminal cases in recent history, marked by unreliable evidence, false leads, and police missteps. Click on for more.
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