John Paul Elverdin
(CNN) — On the 15th anniversary of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance at a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, the German prosecutor investigating the case says he is sure suspect Christian Brückner killed the British girl.
“The investigation is continuing, and I think we have found some new facts, some new evidence, not forensic evidence, but some evidence,” Hans Christian Wolters said in an interview with Portuguese broadcaster CMTV on Tuesday.
“We are sure that he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann,” he said.
Madeleine McCann case: everything you need to know about the girl’s disappearance and the ongoing investigation
Wolters could not confirm that he is certain that Brückner was also responsible for the May 3, 2007 kidnapping of Maddie McCann.
Asked if his investigative team had found “something belonging to Maddie” in Brückner’s truck, Wolters said he couldn’t comment on any details, but clarified that “I don’t want to deny it.”
Wolters also told CMTV that his office still doesn’t know who called Brückner 30 minutes before Maddie McCann disappeared, but added that the suspect “has no alibi.” Brückner had previously said that he had been with his then-girlfriend throughout the night of the kidnapping.
A strong suspect
On April 21, the Portuguese and German authorities named Christian Brückner, 44, as a formal suspect in the case, according to CNN Portugal.
Brückner is a convicted rapist and is currently in jail in Germany on drug-related charges. He is also a suspect in another rape case allegedly committed in Praia da Luz around that time.
That was the first time Portuguese prosecutors had identified an official suspect in the case since Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine’s parents, were named suspects in 2007. They were later acquitted.
Portuguese prosecutors name formal suspect in Madeleine McCann case
Madeleine disappeared from her bedroom on May 3, 2007 during a family vacation in the Algarve region while her parents were having dinner with friends at the Praia da Luz seaside resort.
In April, prosecutors in Faro, the main Algarve city, did not publicly name the man, but said in a statement that German authorities identified him as a suspect at their request.
Police in Germany said in June 2020 that Madeleine was presumed dead and convicted drug lord and child molester Christian Brückner was likely responsible.
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