On May 3rd, 2007 three-year-old Madeleine (Maddy) McCann disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal. Her body has never been found, and all information suggests the British toddler was abducted and murdered. The McCann missing persons case became one of the highest-profile criminal investigations of all time. Now, German police have a man in custody who they believe is the killer. In fact, they say they have irrefutable evidence.
The suspect has not yet been charged with Maddy McCann’s murder. That requires evidence that’s admissible under Portuguese Law—Portugal being the country where the crime took place and the authority having jurisdiction to prosecute the case. Before looking at who the suspect is and what evidence connects him to the crime, let’s review the facts of this tragic case.
Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, took their three children on a week-long vacation to a holiday resort at Praia da Luz in the Algarve recreational region of southern Portugal. Here, they rented a two-bedroom villa or apartment which had a ground floor, courtyard entrance. With Maddy and her parents were the other McCann children, a pair of two-year-old twins. The McCann family was also with a group of friends from the UK. In total, there were seven adults and eight children.
During the week, the adults of the group would have late-evening dinners after the small children were put to bed. They took turns of periodic checks on the sleeping kids until they returned from the courtyard’s outdoor tapas dining area which was 160 feet or 55 meters from the McCann apartment. For the first few nights, everything was fine and there was no reason for anyone to be concerned about the children’s safety.
At 10:00 pm, Kate McCann took her turn to check on the children. She discovered the courtyard door was open when it should have been shut. Kate went inside and into the bedroom where Maddy and the twins slept. The twins were fine, but Maddy was gone.
Kate McCann frantically searched the small apartment that consisted of a combined living/dining/kitchen area and a separate bedroom that the adults used. Maddy was nowhere to be found. Kate rushed to the door and screamed across the courtyard that her little girl was missing.
The group of friends began searching the immediate area and other apartments. The resort staff, including their security detail, combed the complex. Not a trace of Madeleine McCann showed up. It was after 11:00 pm when they notified the local police.
The local officers searched throughout the night. At 2:00 am, they brought in two patrol dogs and by 8:00 am four more search and rescue dogs arrived. The search expanded outside of the resort complex to take in local streets, alleys, buildings, and the beach along the waterfront. Absolutely no trace of Madeleine McCann was found.
Hindsight being what it is, the local police did not treat the McCann’s apartment as a crime scene. That occurred the next day when a higher authority from Portimao took over the investigation. The “golden hours” immediately following the abduction were lost. It was nearly a day later when Maddy’s description was broadcast, roadblocks established, and a proper scene examination was done.
Two witnesses surfaced who reported seeing a man carrying a little girl near the complex around 10:00 pm on May 3rd. This has been widely reported over the years and both sightings (known as the Tanner and Smith sightings) seem conclusively ruled out or eliminated. However, they did create an avenue of focus by the Portuguese police that became narrow-minded and off-track.
The Madeleine McCann case became an instant media frenzy. It’s best described as a circus and it occurred just when social media platforms took off. The British Tabloids fueled the flames of speculation which were carried around the world by emerging SM sites like MSN and a thing called Facebook.
It wasn’t long before the McCann parents became prime suspects. There wasn’t a lick of evidence to support that suspicion and no logical reason why they would harm their daughter. Although it was absurd, the Portuguese police applied arguido status to Kate and Gerry McCann and implicated that they had done something to harm Maddy by accident and were conspiring to cover it up.
This baseless accusation escalated quickly. The renowned British agency, Scotland Yard, commenced their investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Their common-sense approach relieved the heat on the McCann family and influenced the authorities in Portugal to drop the arguido rule.
However, the damage was done. The family’s reputation suffered immensely, especially after the lead investigator on the Portuguese side published a book accusing Maddy’s parents of this heinous crime. That ended in a lengthy lawsuit and served no purpose in finding out what really happened to Madeleine McCann.
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In June 2020, the public prosecutor in Braunschweig, Germany ordered an inquiry into the McCann abduction and murder. The prosecutor said what all credible people involved in the investigation believed—Maddy was dead and had been killed shortly after she was snatched by a pedophile sex offender. The German authorities had someone in mind, and that someone was already in their custody.
The current and prime suspect for murdering Madeleine McCann is 43-year-old Christian Brückner. He is serving a seven-year sentence for rape at a German prison and has been previously convicted of sex crimes on children. It seems, however, that Christian Brückner has been on the police radar for Maddy’s murder for the past seven years.
The German authorities state Brückner was near the crime scene on the night Madeleine McCann vanished. He was living in a Volkswagen van on the beach below the resort and was well-known to certain resort staff. Allegedly, Christian Brückner left the area when the search started and sold his passenger vehicle, a Jaguar, to another party who re-registered it the following day.
It seems the police theory is that Brückner was somehow assisted by a resort staff member. It’s not clear from released information if that was to help him burglarize the apartment(s) or specifically for a sexually-deviant purpose. At the heart of this is a phone record connection between Christian Brückner and the unnamed staff member that took place shortly before Maddy’s abduction.
Has Madeleine McCann’s murderer finally been caught? He may have been caught and in jail on other matters, but he hasn’t been charged or convicted of this offense yet. Although the German police publicly claim they have “irrefutable” evidence, they haven’t disclosed what it is. That, possibly, is because it’s not legally admissible evidence.
Experienced homicide investigators know that solving a murder depends on four factors:
1. There is physical evidence left at the crime scene that links the perpetrator.
2. The perpetrator took something from the scene that links them to the crime.
3. Someone saw the perpetrator at or near the scene when the crime occurred.
4. The perpetrator admits to committing the crime by confessing or otherwise.
In the Madeleine McCann case, there doesn’t appear to be any physical or forensic evidence in the apartment or anywhere in the vicinity that identifies who abducted this innocent little girl. There may have been some trace evidence like fingerprints, footwear impressions, or DNA material deposited but it’s too late for that. That investigation avenue is closed.
The perpetrator certainly did take something from the scene. That was Maddy. However, her body has never been discovered, and where she is only the killer likely knows. So far, he hasn’t said anything or her remains would have been located.
There are no known eyewitnesses to seeing Maddy being snatched. The two famous sightings are not credible evidence. In fact, neither witness ever said they could identify the man they say was carrying a little girl.
If Christian Brückner is Maddy’s murderer, will he confess? That’s anyone’s guess, and it’s certain that skilled interrogators have taken a run at him. Time might tell.
But, there’s two possibilities that might break the case open. That’s if Christian Brückner was working with an accomplice—then that person may agree to cooperate and testify as to the truth about what really happened. Or, if the “irrefutable” evidence leads them to what’s left of Maddy’s remains.
If so, maybe Madeleine McCann’s murderer has finally been caught.
PORTUGAL: Prominent Figures in the Dock on Pedophilia Charges
http://www.ipsnews.net/2004/11/portugal-prominent-figures-in-the-dock-on-pedophilia-charges/
Instead, arriving at Casa Pia (House of the Pious), a 17th century Lisbon orphanage where more than 4,000 children are cared for each year behind high stone walls, the doctor would summon selected boys and girls from their beds for examinations one night each week.
Where possible, he chose deaf-mutes.
After checking that the children were not suffering from any sexual infections, the doctor was joined by the orphanage caretaker, known as Bibi, who ushered the unfortunate children outside to a waiting van.
With the doctor following in his red Ferrari, Bibi drove the van to the prestigious homes of some of the leading members of Lisbon society – ranging from Portuguese government ministers and high-ranking diplomats, to famous television stars and members of the judiciary.
…Amid rumours of links to other paedophile gangs across Europe and the U.S., international experts on child sex crimes and murders are expected to be in court when the case re-opens, four years after a group of victims broke a silence lasting more than 30 years.
But what relevance does this have to the disappearance 170 days ago of four-year-old Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, about 280km from Lisbon?
“Portugal is a paedophiles’ paradise,” said Mr Namora, now a lawyer campaigning on behalf of the Casa Pia victims. “If all the names come out, this will be an earthquake in Portugal. There is a massive, sophisticated network at play here – stretching from the government to the judiciary and the police.
“The network is enormous and extremely powerful. There are magistrates, ambassadors, police, politicians – all have procured children from Casa Pia. It is extremely difficult to break this down. These people cover for each other, because if one is arrested, they all are arrested. They don’t want anyone to know.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-488654/Why-Portugal-haven-paedophiles–disturbing-backcloth-Madeleine-case.html
Six Convicted of Sexual Crimes at Portuguese Children’s Home
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/world/europe/04portugal.html
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all of this is very similar to the Pedo rings..with residential children.
page 74..
https://books.google.ca/books?id=nXzAGYKuQQYC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=child+pedo+ring+in+Canada+%2B+residential+schools&source=bl&ots=KFub2BY7nZ&sig=ACfU3U005WYJnbpbVPl1Fto22xTsK3yrlQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi46dHQlMfqAhWkSt8KHaGgCyEQ6AEwDHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=child%20pedo%20ring%20in%20Canada%20%2B%20residential%20schools&f=false
Thanks for this, Donna. I read similar material when I researched this case.
I feel so bad for the parents. It’s tough enough to have a child murdered but to not know where her remains are or not receive justice just compounds their misery.
So with you on this, Sue. I can think of a lot of things, but I can’t even go there in how the McCann family still suffers. Maybe one day Maddy will come home.
It would be good if we could reduce the number of such incidents. Catching a pedophile after they have molested and killed a child doesn’t undo what they’ve done.
There’s growing evidence that pedophiles are born, not made. There’s also a fair number of people who say, very anonymously, that they are pedophiles but not child molesters. I don’t think they’re lying, and trying to swallow the revulsion I feel at their appetites, I wonder if making it easier to identify them, keep an eye on them, and make sure they never take action on those appetites is not a better option than ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away.
We can’t undo what was done to Maddy, but we can prevent it happening in the future, at least for some kids.
Thank you for your comment, David. Well written and I appreciate your thoughts. Thankfully, the pedophile disorder is rare – especially manifesting into abduction and murder but one is still too many. I highly doubt that a pedophile can be “cured” – at best they might be controlled by confinement or surgical intervention.
I believe as you do, Garry, that a pedophile most likely cannot be “cured” or “rehabilitated” unless their hormonal levels can be controlled by either injections or surgical intervention. Take away the urge for sex, and hopefully they will lose interest in children. As long as the urge remains, however, they will continue their search for victims, and children will continue to vanish into unthinkable situations. Thanks for the post.
I have little faith that anything can be done with these people through any type of conventional therapy. I think physical intervention is the only solution. Thanks for your comment, Mary!
I never felt/thought the parents were guilty of her murder but certainly guilty of gross negligence. I feel badly for them, though, for their immense loss and their suffering as so many accused them of her murder or accidental death with subsequent covering it up.
I’m with you that the McCanns had nothing to do with Maddy’s demise and, yes, they have been crucified throughout the mainstream and social media for neglecting to keep better watch on the children. I’ve also read opinions equating Kate McCann to Lindy Chamberlain (Dingo ate my baby case) and Patsy Ramsay (no need to explain who she was). I’ve written posts on both the Chamberlain and JonBenet Ramsay cases. IMO, Lindy Chamberlain, like Kate McCann, was totally innocent. However, also IMO, Patsy Ramsay was as dirty as a chimneysweep’s hat. Thanks for commenting and supporting the blog, Lynn. Always appreciate your input.
Garry,
Agree 100% with everything you said in your kind reply. Lindy Chamberlain (as you know well) was indeed innocent, and not for a moment did I ever think the McCanns were guilty of anything but the gross negligence I mentioned; I must say, what the HECK were they thinking? Children of any age, anything can happen, even an injury or sudden onset of illness, and they have paid the price. I even agree that, as one independent investigator who did not work on the McCann case that the child could have wandered a distance into the area surrounding the resort and perished, never to be found. (bones scattered by wild animals)> I think the German guy is at least a possibility, given the phone calls between him and a resort employee and the information the Germans have not released yet. And Patsy Ramsey: oh, yes, dirty as a mudpuddle. Absolutely. Your writing on that case was the best. You never leave anything out!
Best, Lynn in TN
Christian Bruckner certainly fits the profile of someone capable of abducting Maddy. These types of guys are rare and having him camped just below the resort and being in a phone contact with a resort employee just prior to the abduction – and then leaving by morning… sure is suspicious to me. I don’t know what the “irrefutable evidence” is and I read a fair amount of stuff before I wrote this post. There were recent news updates from the German authorities, so maybe this is an unfolding matter.
Thanks for the kudus on the JonBenet post, Lynn. You wouldn’t believe some of the ignorant comments and hate mail I vet on this subject. And, then, there’s the Lindsay Buziak crazies…
Ditto, your comments. I too felt they had a laps of judgment leaving the children alone, but the public bashing they took on top of their own grief, and self-recrimination was over the top.
I guess it’s somewhat fair to put one’s self in the McCanns’ shoes and criticize. I can’t see me ever leaving my kids like this but, then, my kids are in their 30s and still refer to me as “OPD” – Overly Protective Dad.
I am certain many parents have made the same mistake the McCann’s, but in the moment it all seemed so innocent. We left our kids sleeping in a tent a few times while visiting our friend’s campsite/campfire right next door, never dreaming anything bad could happen. We could see our tent from where we sat. If I think back that is probably not the only time we slipped away for a few moments. The McCann’s have suffered terribly and I don’t blame them for what happened to their little girl. They made a mistake – and it could have happened to any one of us over the years of rearing our children.
I try not to judge the McCanns for how they supervised their children. It sounds like the group was doing the same thing – regular checks and taking turns. It does sound like typical camping thing and who would have thought that a monster was lurking outside and waiting his opportunity. Hindsight does no good in this case. and the McCanns have been horribly vilified for what happened. I was – still am – an overly protective parent but, then I was exposed to some horrific crime cases. Thanks for commenting, Melony!
The crimes against children are the most heinous. I do hope they find the killer, if not for anything else but to give the parents some kind of closure and justice. What a horrible experience for them, not only the loss of their daughter, but to be accused and publicly denounced for the crime. I can’t imagine their pain and anquish.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Cecilia. The McCann family has gone through a nightmare that I can’t imagine either. If Bruckner is the offender and is held accountable then possibly the family will have some closure. But, I wouldn’t bet that he’ll cooperate.