Police investigating the case of Madeline McCann, who turns 18 this week, have reportedly been given new evidence against a prime suspect.
Officers have been probing the suspected involvement of convicted rapist Christian Brueckner, currently in prison in Germany, according to Birmingham Live.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters made the claim of a breakthrough to The Sun.
He said: “I’m afraid I cannot tell you what it is but it strengthens our work”.
Madeline was three years old when she went missing from her hotel room in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007.
Her parents have said they will never give up on finding their daughter.
Kate and Gerry live in Rothley, in Leicestershire, in the East Midlands, and this week marked what should be Maddie's 18th birthday.
Last week, her parents Kate and Gerry said every May that passes is a "reminder of years passed, of years together lost, or stolen".
The Metropolitan Police continue to treat Madeleine's disappearance as a missing persons inquiry, using Operation Grange to investigate the case which has gripped the nation since 2007.
But German investigators currently believe Brueckner abducted and murdered Madeleine.
Brueckner is set to be charged with the 2004 rape of an Irish tour rep who was working in the area at that time, The Sun reported last week.
