Madeleine McCann search latest: Animal bones among limited findings as third day of police hunt ends in Praia da Luz

What happened to Madeleine McCann? Timeline of the 18 year missing girl mystery as new search launched in Portugal

Mapped: Where police will begin new major search for Madeleine McCann

Will Christian Brueckner ever face charges over the disappearance of Maddie McCann?

Key Points

• Search efforts drawing to a close
• Search expected to end today if no significant evidence found
• Former neighbour describes suspect as 'angry' young man
• Officers scour undergrowth as search nears its end
• Mapped: where the renewed search is focused

Shovels, pickaxes and an abandoned farmhouse: Inside the new search for Madeleine McCann

Inside the new search for Madeleine McCann as police race against time

Christian Brueckner was a drifter and sex offender – why did police ignore him when Maddie McCann disappeared?

The assertion that 47-year-old Christian Brueckner could be the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCannlooked a little thinner when he was acquitted in October on five unrelated sexual offences – two of which involved children – following a trial that began in February 2024.

Despite the huge amount of interest around Christian Brueckner’s past, the verdicts were no great surprise. They had been anticipated since last July when the presiding Judge, Uta Inse Engemann, in the German regional court of Braunschweig had ruled that there was “no longer sufficient evidence of guilt for all of the charges”.

Brueckner, a German national, remains in jail, serving the final months of a seven-year sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in 2005 at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz — the same hotel where Madeleine went missing two years later.

But as he seeks early release from the 2019 sentence, police in Germany are hurrying to charge the prime suspect in the disappearance of the British toddler before he walks free from prison in the next two weeks.

Will Christian Brueckner ever face charges over the disappearance of Maddie McCann?

Vast search involving dozens of police and high-tech equipment to cost £300,000, according to reports

Dozens of police from Germany and Portugal have spent most of the week scouring a 120-acre stretch of scrubland and abandoned buildings for clues about Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

That effort, set to end today unless significant evidence is uncovered, is estimated to have cost at least £300,000, The Times reports.

The newspaper reports more than 60 officers have been involved in the hunt, and on Wednesday aerial drones were deployed and an excavator was brought in to help clear rubble.

Searchers also used ground penetrating radar, which can detect abnormalities underground, such as a hidden burial.

The search area is just a couple of miles from Praia de Luz and the Ocean Club resort where Madeleine had been sleeping before she vanished on May 3, 2007.

Former neighbour describes suspect as 'angry' young man

A neighbour of German suspect Christian Brueckner, who lived near Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, described him as an “angry” young man who she would hear having rows with his girlfriend.

Brueckner, who has denied any involvement in the McCann case, was living in the town around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.

The neighbour said: “If I was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know, how are you,” she said. “Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work.”

The resident, who used to ride her horse around the 120-acre search area, said the farmhouses and outbuildings on the site have been derelict since at least the 80s.

“It is the first time I've heard of Atalaia being searched,” she said. “I know the properties because I used go up there all the time with my horse. I know exactly where they are. Whether he'd been up there or done anything, no clue.”

The neighbour said locals were “exhausted” by the search operation - just the latest in a long history of investigations in the 18 years since Madeleine disappeared.

Full story: A timeline of the 18 year missing girl mystery

The current search, a few miles from where Madeleine McCann was last seen in a Praia da Luz resort, is just the latest in the years-long, international effort to find answers.

Read the full history of the toddler’s disappearance and the effort to find her below:

What happened to Madeleine McCann? Timeline of the 18 year missing girl mystery

Animal bones among the limited findings in final hours of the search, report claims

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported that some material had been gathered on Wednesday and was being processed and analysed to see if it contained anything relevant to the investigation.

A local television station, SIC, reported that animal bones were among the limited findings of the large-scale investigation.

Since Tuesday, dozens of police from Germany and Portugal have been scouring a 120-acre swathe of scrubland, just a couple of miles from where Madeleine was last seen alive.

The search is expected to finish this afternoon if nothing significant has been found.

In pictures: Police search by hand, scouring bushes in last ditch hunt for evidence

Watch: Inside buildings scoured in new search for Madeleine McCann

‘Everybody’s fed up’: Inside the Algarve resort haunted by the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

On a stop sign at the entrance to Praia Da Luz, faded graffiti declares: “STOP McCann circus.”

The stencilled message - now hastily sprayed over - was once daubed on every stop sign in the town as locals reeled from the devastating impact of the British toddler’s disappearance in 2007.

Tourism halved in the charming Algarve resort as the mystery of Madeleine McCann turned into a media storm which they have struggled to escape ever since, according to weary residents.

Read the full story by The Independent’s crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin:

Inside the Algarve resort haunted by the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

German authorities requested the search take place

German authorities requested the search as part of their continued attempts to source evidence to implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.

He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought.

In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brueckner spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

Round of applause and crate of German beer

German and Portuguese investigators congratulated and embraced each other as searches connected to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann drew to a close.

Search teams wound down the operation in Atalaia, near Lagos, Portugal, on Thursday, after three days of scouring scrubland and abandoned structures.

Officers involved in the latest searches held a debrief before leaving the site, and there was a round of applause before a crate of German beer was removed from one of the tents in the designated base area.

After the Augustiner beers were carried away, some officers struggled to grapple with the tents they were taking down because of the blustery conditions.

Earlier in the day, personnel could be seen holding pitchforks as they combed stretches of land.

Pick-axes and shovels were used to dig some of the undergrowth and a digger was again used to remove rubble from one of the abandoned structures at the site.

They spent the first two days of the search focusing on one particular derelict building, using ground-penetrating radar on the cobbled ground after clearing the area of debris and vegetation using a digger and chainsaws.

In pictures: The search near Praia da Luz on Thursday

Former neighbour describes suspect as 'angry' young man

Amy-Clare Martin reports from Praia da Luz:

A neighbour of German suspect Christian Brueckner, who lived near Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, described him as an “angry” young man who she would hear having rows with his girlfriend.

Brueckner, who has denied any involvement in the McCann case, was living in the town around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.

The neighbour said: “If I was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know, how are you,” she said. “Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work.”

The resident, who used to ride her horse around the 120-acre search area, said the farmhouses and outbuildings on the site have been derelict since at least the 80s.

“It is the first time I've heard of Atalaia being searched,” she said. “I know the properties because I used go up there all the time with my horse. I know exactly where they are. Whether he'd been up there or done anything, no clue.”

This week’s search, a few miles from where Madeleine McCann was last seen in a Praia da Luz resort, is just the latest in the years-long, international effort to find answers.

Read the full history of the toddler’s disappearance and the effort to find her below:

What happened to Madeleine McCann? Timeline of the 18 year missing girl mystery

Search efforts drawing to a close

Search efforts appear to be drawing to a close in the desperate attempts to find Madeleine McCann.

German and Portuguese police were seen shaking hands and embracing shortly after 5pm at the end of the third day of searches at abandoned buildings around a mile from where the toddler was last seen.

Teams appeared to stand in a circle for a debrief before they began taking down one of the tents erected at the scene.

One team member was seeing carrying a crate of German beer.

Officers were expected to pack up and leave after three days of searches unless they found anything significant.

Animal bones are reported to be among limited findings in the final hours of the search, local television station SIC reported on Thursday.

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported that some material had been gathered on Wednesday and was being processed and analysed to see if it contained anything relevant to the investigation.

Watch: Police spend third day searching scrubland near Praia da Luz

Latest search is winding down - but no official word yet on what they found

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann seem to be winding down their latest search in Portugal.

Officers could be seen carrying equipment such as bins, boxes and folding tables away from their base area in Atalaia, near Praia da Luz, on Thursday afternoon.

Personnel also loaded vans parked near some abandoned buildings with some of the equipment used in the searches.

Earlier, Portuguese television station SIC reported searchers had found animal bones and clothing fragments.

It will take time for any material gathered during the three-day search to be analysed.

Day three of search: Dozens of police hunt scrubland for signs of Madeleine McCann

Using everything from JCBs and ground penetrating radar to shovels, pickaxes and their hands, dozens of police officers from Germany and Portugal toiled in 29C heat near Praia da Luz in their search for clues.

Their search area: a 120-acre tract of countryside within walking distance of the holiday town, which is covered in scrub and dotted with abandoned farm buildings in various states of disrepair.

Their goal: any hard evidence in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Her Eeyore pyjamas, perhaps, or more grimly, her body.

German officers were hoping to find evidence linking the toddler’s disappearance more than 18 years ago with their suspect, Christian Brueckner, who is currently in prison for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz.

Brueckner, who has denied any involvement, was living in the area at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.

Police are yet to make any official comments, and any findings will need to be carefully analysed, meaning their investigation is far from over.

In pictures: the cottage where the prime suspect allegedly lived

Christian Brueckner lived just outside Praia da Luz around the time Madeleine McCann disappeared.

He has denied any involvement in her disappearance, but police have spent the week searching scrubland near this cottage for potential evidence linking him to the case.

Mapped: The area where police have been searching

Full story: Why did police ignore Christian Brueckner when Maddie McCann disappeared?

Will Christian Brueckner ever face charges over the disappearance of Maddie McCann?

Why the urgency in today's search?

There are two reasons police from Germany will be hoping to uncover concrete evidence of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance today.

The first is, if they do not, their search will end shortly - this afternoon rather than tomorrow - and they will be returning to Germany without significant forensic evidence.

They had been hoping to secure evidence linking the toddler’s disappearance to their prime suspect, Christian Brueckner.

Brueckner has denied any involvement, and his prison sentence (for raping a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005) will end in September unless fresh charges are brought.

In an interview with RTL, Brueckner said he would disappear once released, due to the intense attention the case has received - which would make it difficult for authorities to track him down should they eventually find the evidence they need to charge him.

In pictures: Police search by hand, scouring bushes in last ditch hunt for evidence

Animal bones among the limited findings in final hours of the search, report claims

Neither German nor Portuguese police have released official statements since the renewed search began this week for solid answers over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann 18 years ago.

However, local media has reported that some evidence has been collected over the past day for testing.

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported that some material had been gathered on Wednesday and was being processed and analysed to see if it contained anything relevant to the investigation.

A local television station, SIC, reported that animal bones were among the limited findings of the large-scale investigation.

Since Tuesday, dozens of police from Germany and Portugal have been scouring a 120-acre swathe of scrubland, just a couple of miles from where Madeleine was last seen alive.

The search is expected to finish this afternoon if nothing significant has been found.

Watch: Police continue search for trace of Madeleine McCann near Praia da Luz

Full story: A timeline of the 18 year missing girl mystery

The current search, a few miles from where Madeleine McCann was last seen in a Praia da Luz resort, is just the latest in the years-long, internationl effort to find answers.

Read the full history of the toddler’s disappearance and the effort to find her below:

What happened to Madeleine McCann? Timeline of the 18 year missing girl mystery

Officers scour undergrowth as search nears its end

Police looking into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are expected to end their latest search today, after three days scouring scrubland and abandoned structures.

Officers could be seen holding pitchforks as they combed land in an area on the outskirts of Lagos in Portugal on Thursday.

Search teams of German and Portuguese police officers used pick-axes and shovels to dig some of the undergrowth and a digger was again used to remove rubble from one of the abandoned structures at the site.

In pictures: Search continues through scrub and abandoned buildings

Watch live: search continues for evidence in Madeleine McCann disappearance

Former neighbour of suspect says renewed search ‘beggars belief’

A neighbour of German suspect Christian Brueckner, who lived near Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, said locals were exhausted by the renewed search.

Brueckner had lived near Praia da Luz in 2007, when Madeleine went missing. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Asked for her opinion on the search operation, the neighbour said: “It’s a pile of rubbish, we are all so exhausted, it just goes on and on.

“It beggars belief.”

Little sign of Madeleine McCann horror in Praia da Luz, 18 years on

Amy-Clare Martin is reporting from Praia da Luz:

With whitewashed walls and bars on the windows, there’s little sign of the horror of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance at the apartment where she vanished in Praia da Luz 18 years ago.

Holidaymakers from across Europe were sunbathing by the pool inside the Ocean Club resort on Thursday as search efforts entered their third day on a remote area of clifftop scrubland less than a mile away.

After almost two decades of media scrutiny as her unsolved disappearance has continued to make worldwide headlines, staff at the complex said they were unable to comment on the ongoing investigation.

Eric Hoffman, 78, told The Independent he had no idea he was staying at the infamous spot where Maddy vanished when he booked a two-week holiday from Switzerland.

“We were surprised, we know of the case from the papers but we didn’t know before we booked that it was this building,” he said.

Asked about the latest searches, he added: “It’s quite difficult now to find something because it’s been so long.”

Race to find evidence before suspect disappears

Christian Brueckner was first named as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2020, but police have so far not charged him.

Currently serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, Brueckner is set to be released by September unless further charges are brought.

Earlier this year, German prosecutors confirmed Brueckner had applied for early release, after he was cleared in October last year by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

In a recent and rare interview with RTL, Brueckner said he planned to vanish after his release thanks to the intense attention he had received as a suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance. He has denied any involvement.

A Portuguese police source told the Mirror that the current search was a “last ditch effort” to find concrete forensic evidence linking Brueckner to the toddler’s disappearance.

“Officers are determined to do everything they possibly can before Brueckner walks free. They know what is at stake,” the source said.

Search expected to end today if no significant evidence found

German police were given most of this week to conduct a search of a vast stretch of scrubland near Praia da Luz for evidence in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

But it's understood that unless significant evidence is uncovered today, the search will end tonight - a day earlier than initially announced.

Searchers have used a JCB to move rubble from abandoned farm buildings, and various machinery to clear scrub to try to uncover any trace of the then-three-year-old.

On Wednesday, police deployed aerial drones and ground penetrating radar as they ramped up efforts.

German police are racing to find evidence that they hope will tie their prime suspect, Christian Brueckner, to the case.

Brueckner, who has denied any involvement, is due to be released from a German prison within months.

Former neighbour describes suspect as 'angry' young man

Amy-Clare Martin reports from Praia da Luz:

A neighbour of German suspect Christian Brueckner, who lived near Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, described him as an “angry” young man who she would hear having rows with his girlfriend.

Brueckner, who has denied any involvement in the McCann case, was living in the town around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.

The neighbour said: “If I was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know, how are you,” she said. “Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work.”

The resident, who used to ride her horse around the 120-acre search area, said the farmhouses and outbuildings on the site have been derelict since at least the 80s.

“It is the first time I've heard of Atalaia being searched,” she said. “I know the properties because I used go up there all the time with my horse. I know exactly where they are. Whether he'd been up there or done anything, no clue.”

The neighbour said locals were “exhausted” by the search operation - just the latest in a long history of investigations in the 18 years since Madeleine disappeared.

In pictures: Dozens of police gather to continue search for trace of Madeleine McCann

Teams of police officers, forensic experts and other personnel have resumed the search near Praia da Luz this morning.

Unless anything significant is found, it’s expected to be the last day of the latest search for a trace of Madeleine McCann.

Vast search involving dozens of police and high-tech equipment to cost £300,000, according to reports

Dozens of police from Germany and Portugal have spent most of the week scouring a 120-acre stretch of scrubland and abandoned buildings for clues about Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

That effort, set to end today unless significant evidence is uncovered, is estimated to have cost at least £300,000, The Times reports.

The newspaper reports more than 60 officers have been involved in the hunt, and on Wednesday aerial drones were deployed and an excavator was brought in to help clear rubble.

Searchers also used ground penetrating radar, which can detect abnormalities underground, such as a hidden burial.

The search area is just a couple of miles from Praia de Luz and the Ocean Club resort where Madeleine had been sleeping before she vanished on May 3, 2007.

In pictures: Search resumes as police race against the clock

Box of material taken for analysis on day two of search, reports claim

German and Portuguese police haven’t made any official comments about the search while it has been underway.

But yesterday, searchers were seen taking a box from the site of one of their search efforts, taken into a tent in their operations centre.

Local newspaper Correio da Manha reported the material had been collected from one of the abandoned buildings being searched, just a couple of miles from Praia da Luz.

The newspaper reported the material will be processed and analysed to see whether it contains anything relevant to the investigation.

Watch: The Independent reports from abandoned site of search

McCanns not commenting while investigation is underway

Madeleine McCann’s parents are not making any public statements while the current search is underway.

Kate and Gerry McCann, who last month marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, are not commenting during the "active police investigation", the Find Madeleine Campaign said.

Mapped: The search area near Praia da Luz

The search so far: From shovels to JCBs, police scour scrubland

Police from Germany and Portugal have spent two days already, scouring a vast area of scrubland just a few miles from Praia da Luz for any evidence of what happened to Madeleine McCann.

On Tuesday searchers used mostly hand tools, including pickaxes, strimmers and shovels to clear vegetation and search around an abandoned building.

The next day they brought in an excavator to help clear rubble, and used ground penetrating radar to search for signs of anything unusual - such as an unmarked grave - underground.

It’s understood that if nothing of significance is found today, the search will end tonight.

Why is this new search being carried out in the Madeleine McCann case?

German federal police requested this week’s search as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner.

Bueckner is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, and is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought.

Earlier this year, Brueckner also applied to be released early.

That application came after Brueckner was cleared in October last year by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

He has denied having any involvement in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

In pictures: Searchers ramped up effort with JCB and radar on Wednesday

Clock ticks on search for evidence in Madeleine McCann case

Police from Germany are resuming their hunt for evidence this morning, with limited time left to find concrete evidence connecting their prime suspect with the case.

Christian Brueckner was first named as a suspect in 2020, but police have not charged him in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance and he has denied any involvement.

Brueckner is nearing the end of a seven-year prison sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in rape in Praia da Luz in 2005.

German investigators were granted permission to search in an area near Praia da Luz just miles from where Madeleine was last seen, but only until Friday, but it’s understood that unless they find anything significant by the end of today they will pack. up and head home.

Watch live: Search for clues in disappearance of Madeleine McCann continues

Full report: Search intensifies with police using hi-tech radar close to suspect’s former home

Police have turned to specialist ground penetrating radar as searches intensified in the desperate hunt to finally solve the mystery of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The hi-tech equipment, which can map underground terrain up to 10 feet deep, arrived at a remote area along with a JCB digger on the second day of renewed searches for the missing toddler on Wednesday.

Our crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin reports from Praia da Luz:

Search for Madeleine McCann escalates with hi-tech radar used close to suspect’s home

Police searching up to 21 derelict buildings near suspect's former home

Investigators are scouring a string of derelict farmhouses and outbuildings in a remote stretch of scrubland just over a mile from the resort of Praia da Luz, where the British toddler vanished in 2007.

The 120-acre area, off a dramatic clifftop path along the coast between Atalaia and Lagos, is said to have once been populated by a farming community, but has long-been abandoned because it is so arid.

Now up to 21 of these derelict structures are understood to be the focus of a fresh searches initiated by German investigators 18 years after Madeleine disappeared as they face a race against time to bring charges against their only suspect, Christian Brueckner.

Video report: Police continue search for Madeleine McCann

Watch: Inside an abandoned farm building in search area for Madeleine McCann

Amy-Clare Martin reports from on the ground:

Journalists were able to enter one of the abandoned structures after police spent the morning clearing rubble and debris inside.

The small stone farm building in the remote area of scrubland is strewn with graffiti and there is evidence of old campfires outside.

It appeared police had cleared the floor inside the outbuilding. It is not known if they will return to carry out further searches at the site.

Reports had suggested ground radar will be brought in but crews have so far been using shovels, chainsaws and a digger to remove rubble as they clear multiple sites across the vast stretch of scrubland.

Christian Brueckner says he will 'disappear' following release from prison

Speaking to German broadcaster RTL, Christian Brueckner said he planned to disappear after his release from prison.

He is due to be released in September as his seven-year term for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 comes to an end.

The 48-year-old said: “The fact is that I have been in prison for many years for something that I cannot have committed and that therefore, through the participation of the media, half the world considers me a cruel rapist.”

Search expected to end on Thursday if no significant evidence found

The fresh search for evidence in Atalaia is expected to be entering its final day on Thursday.

Portuguese police haven’t been told what intelligence German investigators are acting on, but unless they uncover anything significant by the end of Thursday they will pack up and head home, it is understood.

Madeleine's parents not commenting on police investigation, campaign group says

Kate and Gerry McCann, who last month marked the 18th anniversary of their daughter Madeleine’s disappearance, are not commenting during the “active police investigation”, the Find Madeleine Campaign said.

Brueckner's former neighbour calls for him to be 'locked away for rest of his life'

Now knowing the full extent of the allegations against him, a former neighbour of Christian Brueckner’s in Atalaia called for him be locked away for the rest of his life “because of what he has done”.

Brueckner, who denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, is due to be released from prison in September as his seven-year term for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 comes to an end.

The former neighbour told The Telegraph that “what’s been uncovered about him is quite despicable”.

Brueckner was also cleared by a German court last year of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Atalaia resident says it is first time area has been searched for evidence

A British local, who has lived in Atalaia since the 1980s and used to be a neighbour of Christian Brueckner, said she believes it is the first time police have searched the area.

The resident, who used to ride her horse around the 120-acre remote area being searched by police, said the farmhouses and outbuildings on the site have been derelict since at least the 80s.

“It is the first time I've heard of Atalaia being searched,” she said. “I know the properties because I used go the up there all the time with my horse. I know exactly where they are. Whether he’d been up there or done anything, no clue.”

Brueckner was 'angry' young man, former neighbour recalls

Christian Brueckner was an “angry” young man who could be heard having rows with his girlfriend, a neighbour has recalled, as police scour scrubland near the cottage where he used to live for signs of Madeleine McCann.

The British local, who has lived in the area since the 80s, said she would regularly say hello to the German, who rented a run-down cottage in Atalaia, just outside Praia da Luz, around the time of the British toddler’s disappearance in 2007.

German police are on their second day of search efforts in a string of derelict farm buildings up a hill less than a mile from the property, which is down a remote track with a few houses.

The neighbour, who did not want to be named, described Brueckner – who would have been in his late 20s at the time – as “quite angry” and she would hear him having rows with his girlfriend.

“If I was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know, how are you,” she told The Telegraph. “Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work.”