Christian Brueckner has been officially named a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Madeleine was on a trip with her parents Kate and Gerry when she disappeared from a resort in Portugal, seemingly gone without a trace.
Brueckner is currently in jail for raping a 72-year-old woman who was visiting the same resort at the same time the McCann family was there.
Madeleine's disappearance has troubled authorities since 2007. Her parents, who were dining out with friends near where Madeleine slept the night she vanished, were initially named as suspects. They were not cleared until nearly a year later.
In 2020, German authorities claimed to have evidence that Brueckner was indeed involved in what happened to Madeleine. Authorities have pursued leads tied to Brueckner since 2013.
Raymond Hewlett, a convicted pedophile, was also named as a suspect at one point but ended up producing an alibi that cleared him of any involvement. In 2011, Scotland Yard became involved in the case and offered assistance to the Portuguese authorities.
Brueckner was named as a person of interest in June 2020 after authorities tied him to the Praia da Luz resort the McCann family stayed at. German state prosecutors have since stated they have "concrete evidence" the young girl died.
Nearly 15 years have passed since Madeleine McCann disappeared only a few days before she would have turned 4 years old. Her parents have consistently pleaded with the public for information about her disappearance, and there is hope that perhaps some details will finally come to light.
