German police have finally broken their silence, calling the latest search for Madeleine McCann “very constructive”.
Clothing and bones have been sent for forensic testing. According to The Olive Press, two firearms were also uncovered.
The high-profile search for Madeleine McCann was widely dismissed as a failure last week when police seemed to walk away from the site near Praia da Luz with nothing. But now, new revelations could change everything.
German authorities have confirmed that fragments discovered during a renewed search for missing British toddler Madeleine McCann are now undergoing forensic testing — fueling speculation that the pieces could finally link suspect Christian Brueckner to her 2007 disappearance.
“Very constructive”
The three-day search unfolded last week, at a remote site in Portugal where Brueckner, 38, is believed to have camped out in the past. Police uncovered items including pieces of clothing and what appeared to be bones during the dig, which took place in rugged terrain known locally as Brueckner’s “rat run.”
The Sun reports that while the bones were first believed to be from an animal, prosecutors have held onto them for detailed forensic analysis.
The joint operation between German and Portuguese police teams was described as “very constructive” by Hans Christian Wolters, the head prosecutor in Braunschweig, suggesting rare optimism in a case long shrouded in heartbreak and dead ends.
According to The Olive Press, two firearms were also uncovered during last week’s search.
“In total we found two guns, but we don’t know if they are related to Christian Brueckner or his offences,” a source told The Olive Press.
We’ve been told very little. but we also found a number of bones, most likely not human, and some bone fragments, all sent to Germany, where a forensic check will be undertaken by specialists,” the source added.
Photos from the scene
The area searched lies near where Madeleine vanished from a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007, just days before her fourth birthday. Despite years of international attention and countless leads, she has never been found.
Photos from the scene show police using industrial machinery and ground-penetrating radar to sweep the site. Though early reports dismissed the findings as inconclusive, today’s announcement marks a potential turning point.
Christian Brueckner, now 48, is serving a seven-year sentence in Germany for raping a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 — just two years before Madeleine disappeared. He has denied involvement in her case, but German prosecutors maintain he remains the lead suspect.
A newly released a documentary titled Madeleine McCann: Inside the Secret Evidence, offered a deeper look into Brueckner’s background.
The documentary revealed chilling array of items reportedly found at his former factory hideout,including children’s swimwear, a toddler’s bicycle, toys, masks, and weapons. It also detailed how Brueckner once wrote about using the chemical ether to abduct a mother and child from a preschool.
But without forensic evidence tying him to the Maddie McCann case, prosecutors say they may struggle to get the warrant needed to keep him behind bars. Brueckner is expected to be released in September 2025 — unless something police find something new.