Police are set to commence new searches tomorrow, Tuesday, in the vicinity of where Madeleine McCann was last seen.
The searches will occur between Praia da Luz, the location of Madeleine’s disappearance on May 3, 2007, and a residence associated with the main suspect in the case, Christian Bruckner. According to the Daily Mail, German authorities requested these investigations.
“The searches will be entirely land-based. The primary goal is to uncover any evidence related to Madeleine’s remains,” a source close to the investigation stated. The operation is anticipated to last approximately three days unless new developments arise in the case.
This will mark the first search in Portugal in two years, following an extensive week-long operation that involved both Portuguese and German police at a remote dam, situated a 40-minute drive from Praia da Luz.
Previous searches conducted in May 2023 at the Arade dam, considered an “area of interest” where Bruckner reportedly referred to as his “little paradise,” yielded no discoveries.
These were the first significant searches in Portugal for Madeleine in nine years, after an earlier operation in June 2014 when British police received authorization to excavate in Praia da Luz, using body-sniffing dogs and radar technology.
In a smaller initiative in July 2020, Portuguese police and the fire service searched three wells for evidence of Madeleine’s remains but did not find anything.
The Suspect
Christian Bruckner, the prime suspect, is currently incarcerated in Germany, serving a seven-year sentence for rape. The 48-year-old convicted sex offender’s prospects for release in September have dimmed following reports of new charges against him. He is under investigation for suspected kidnapping and murder in connection with the McCann case but maintains his innocence.
Even though German investigators have taken the unusual step of naming Bruckner as a suspect, he has yet to be formally charged.
Bruckner’s prison term is set to conclude in September. As he approaches the end of his sentence, he is no longer held in solitary confinement.
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