In what is understood to be the most significant search operation since 2008, German police are scouring the area of Praia da Luz in search of missing Madeleine McCann, with fresh evidence leading them to lonely abandoned farm buildings
The mystery of what happened to Madeleine McCann has perplexed police for nearly two decades. Now, investigators believe they could finally be zoning in on the truth.
Madeleine, from Leicester, was just three years old when she vanished from her family’s rented holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve region of Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Famed for its beautiful sandy beach and family-friendly reputation, Madeleine’s disappearance has long cast a dark shadow over the picturesque former fishing village.
Now, German police have begun fresh searches in the area, prompted by new information reportedly emerging following the trial of prime suspect Christian Brueckner, 48. Officers began their search on Tuesday, June 3, focusing on the area between Praia da Luz and Brueckner’s former cottage, which is located on the edge of the village.
This search, the most significant since 2008, has included an abandoned farmhouse surrounded by partially collapsed outbuildings, where officers have recovered samples of potential evidence.
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Police were spotted removing mounds of earth from the scene, which was then taken away in plastic bags for further examination. Firemen were also spotted draining an abandoned well.
Yesterday investigators turned their attention to a second abandoned farmhouse in the area, with plain-clothed officers seen digging through and removing rubble from the graffiti-covered structure, located within 100 metres of a cliff edge. No leads were reportedly uncovered during yesterday’s search.
The search resumed today, with efforts appearing to have moved away from the disused farm buildings.
This morning, a JCB digger was seen clearing rubble from the remains of a derelict building located at the far eastern end of the 50-hectare site between Praia da Luz and Lagos. The clock is now ticking, with investigators having until Friday, June 6, to unearth any new evidence relating to Madeleine’s case.
Convicted paedophile Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the 2005 rape of an elderly woman at her Praia da Luz home, has denied any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine.
The radar equipment used in this latest search, which can scan beneath the ground, will focus on trenches that were reportedly dug at around the same time that the child disappeared.
An investigating source told the publication: “Following Brueckner’s trial last year, someone contacted them with theories on where anyone who took Madeleine might’ve dumped her. They told cops about trenches that were dug in Praia at the time Madeleine disappeared, and the house where Brueckner had lived on the edge of the village.
“Of course, all of these places have been searched over and over again, but now they have a new weapon in their ground-scanning radar. It means they don’t need to dig for the sake of it. But as soon as they spot anything of interest, they are ready to excavate and check it.”
Following this recent development, British expat Ruth Maclean, who lived next door to Brueckner in 2007, told The Times: “He was my neighbour, he was German, young, quite angry. I would hear him having arguments with his girlfriend.”
She continued: “He raped a lady in the town. I heard about that afterwards, just a ghastly piece of work. But I didn’t know of him being a ghastly piece of work at the time.” Offering her thoughts on the renewed search effort, Ruth commented: “We are all so exhausted. It just goes on and on. It beggars belief.”
“I know the properties [being searched] because I ride up there all the time with my horses. There may have been one or two wells in the old days… The fact they are going to dredge them seems absolutely ludicrous, but who knows.”
For the past 18 years, Madeleine’s dedicated parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have tirelessly campaigned to find their daughter and have never given up hope of bringing her home alive.
To date, the Metropolitan Police has spent more than £ 13million on Madeleine’s case, dubbed Operation Grange.
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