Maddie parents cling to ‘slim hope’ as formal suspect named
MADELEINE McCann’s parents have welcomed the naming of a German man as a formal suspect in her disappearance.
They said they still held the “slim hope” that their vanished daughter is alive.
An ex-detective who helped look for their daughter believes that charges against Christian Brueckner are now likely.
Kate and Gerry McCann’s statement came as Portuguese authorities said the convicted sex offender was an “arguido” in Maddie’s disappearance from the Algarve in May 2007.
Investigation
The status given to Brueckner, 44, translates as “named or formal suspect”.
The McCanns yesterday said the decision “reflects progress in the investigation, being conducted by the Portuguese, German and British authorities.We are kept informed.
“It is important to note the ‘arguido’ has not yet been charged with any specific crime related to Madeleine’s disappearance.
“Even though the possibility may be slim, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will be reunited with her.”
Brueckner, currently in jail in his home coun
try, was identified as a suspect by German prosecutors in June 2020 but has not been charged.
Investigators think he killed the three-yearold after grabbing her from a holiday flat in Praia da Luz where the family were staying.
A statement from the Faro department of criminal investigation and prosecution said a person had been made an “arguido” at the request of the public prosecution service.
Jim Gamble, former head of the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, investigated the case. He told the BBC: “My own gut feeling on it – from the moment the Germans began to release information two years ago – was that this was the best fit.
“You have proximity [of Brueckner], you have opportunity and you have a profile with regards to an offender that absolutely fits. I wouldn’t be surprised if charges did follow.”
Reports suggested the move may be linked to Portuguese law that does not allow crimes with a maximum jail term to be prosecuted more than 15 years after they happened, meaning Brueckner could not be charged after May 3.