Madeleine McCann: New evidence found in Portugal is sent for analysis
At the request of German authorities, police undertook an intensive three-day search of a reservoir, hoping to gather additional evidence to strengthen the case against the already convicted rapist.
Photo Reproduction / Horacio Villalobos/Getty Images
The Portuguese Police reported that the material unearthed from a reservoir in the Algarve will be sent to Germany for analysis, after the completion of the first major search for Madeleine McCann in a decade. After three days of excavations in an area close to the Arade dam, in southern Portugal, the officials ended their activities and a spokesman for the Judiciary Police announced that the collected material will be handed over to the German authorities.
New searches
On Wednesday (24), Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor in charge of the investigation, announced that investigations have been resumed to find clues about Madeleine's disappearance. German authorities have carried out further searches to verify the claim that Christian Brueckner, a 45-year-old convicted rapist, is responsible for the girl's disappearance. In other words, the new searches are aimed at finding evidence that can clarify the case.
In accordance with the request of the German Public Prosecutor, the Portuguese police were conducting a new series of searches in several locations near a reservoir where the main suspect used to camp frequently. About 30 police, Portuguese, German and British participated in this operation in Albufeira do Arade, located approximately 50 miles from the tourist destination Praia da Luz, where the then 3-year-old girl was last seen.
“We have hints that we could find evidence there. I don't want to say what exactly and I also don't want to say where these indications come from”, said promoter Christian Wolters, in statements to the public channel NDR.
Wolters further stated that information about the location was handled through investigations carried out in the last year and refuted any suggestion that the suspect, currently being held in Germany, provided such details. The suspect vehemently denies having committed the crime. It is important to note that the information does not come from the suspect, so we do not have a confession or anything similar. In addition, the German prosecutor also sought to lower expectations regarding a possible discovery, stating that "we have never claimed that the place where we are currently looking is the place where the girl disappeared".
The missing
Madeleine has been Missing since May 3, 2007. On that occasion, she disappeared from the apartment located in a resort, where she was sleeping with her brothers, while her parents had dinner a few meters away. The child was about to turn 4 years old. Since then, there have been several theories about his whereabouts, but so far, there have been no exciting advances in investigations.
Collected material
A small land of 10 square meters aroused the interest of the investigation. The bank slope had been cleared and cut. Several deep holes were dug in the ground and as an exception the earth was clearly removed. Evidence of past human occupation was found, including a rusty chair and a blue suitcase. The German police stated that "indications" and "tips" led them to carry out the search, but it was suggested that photographs discovered in 2016 provided evidence that Brückner used to regularly visit the site, which he described as "my little paradise".
Photo Reproduction / Daniel Boffey/The Guardian
What the authorities say
According to Wolters, once the defendant's defense has not yet had access to the files, authorities have not released any new evidence that might implicate Brückner. He is a German national who was considered the prime suspect in the case of Madeleine's disappearance. A representative of the Judiciary Police stated: "The actions requested by the German authorities, through a request for international cooperation, have been completed and have resulted in the collection of some material that will be kept for proper analysis.
