Darkest fears come true
British toddler murdered, German authorities believe
German authorities now fear British toddler Madeleine McCann has been murdered.
The three-year-old vanished in 2007 from the Portuguese holiday compound where she was staying with her parents and siblings.
“We assume that the girl is dead,” Braunschweig state prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said. “The public prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig is investigating a 43-year-old German national on suspicion of murder.”
He added that detectives have also determined the little girl’s cause of death.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are now hoping beyond hope that Madeleine will be safely returned to them.
“All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice,” the devastated parents said before the latest statement from German authorities.
“We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know, as we need to find peace.”
The German man who has emerged as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance is a convicted rapist who preys on women and children.
Cops say the 43-year-old unnamed man — who was living near the Portuguese resort where the little girl was staying with her parents — had a treasure trove of videos featuring his sick sex attacks. In addition, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for sexually abusing a child in 2016.
The man is currently locked up for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
The rape of the American woman occurred just 18 months after Madeleine vanished, the UK Sun reports. The woman had been beaten by a metal object in her home, raped and robbed.
In addition, German cops say a 30-minute phone call placed the suspect in the resort where Madeleine was staying just one hour before she vanished. His 1992 Jaguar and late model VW camper van were also seen in the vicinity.
His appearance at the time is chillingly similar to an Electronic Facial Identification Technique done by Scotland Yard.
Now, German detectives say they have “almost enough evidence” to charge the convict in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance, which has vexed police for 13 years.
According to cops, the break in the case came when an acquaintance of the Teutonic terror dropped a dime on the man.
He had broken into the man’s home and found the sickening videos.
The tipster allegedly told cops: “You do s--- in your youth, but these were things that are out of the question.”
Cold case cops began looking into the man and other unsolved cases.
A DNA sample taken from the American woman’s bed pointed to the suspect.
“There is reason to believe that there are other people besides the perpetrator who have concrete knowledge of the possible scene of the crime and, if necessary, where the body is stored,” Christian Hoppe, of the German Federal Police, told reporters.
He added detectives have not ruled out a sexual motive in Madeleine’s disappearance.
The McCanns were holidaying with their three children at the Ocean Club on the Algarve when tragedy struck.
“We know a lot about the suspect, but we need to know more about his movements on the night Madeleine vanished and in the days before and afterwards,” Metropolitan Police Det. Chief Insp. Mark Cranwell told reporters.
“We know he was in the resort on the night, about an hour before Madeleine was last seen about 9 p.m. He took a phone call on his Portuguese mobile from another Portuguese mobile. The call lasted half an hour.”
But he added: “While this male is a suspect, we retain an open mind as to his involvement and this remains a missing person inquiry.” Now, police are scouring two properties close to the resort.