CAROLA TITZE
Murdered. Disappeared: July 5 1996 from a beach in De Haan, Belgium.
What happened?
The 16-year-old from Germany was on holiday with her parents when she went out on a walk towards the beach in the morning, but never returned. Her severely mutilated body was found in sand dunes on July 11.
Where was Christian Brückner?
He had moved from Germany to Praia da Luz in 1995. It is not clear if he made any trips back to Germany or neighbouring Belgium in the following years.
Carola is reported to have been in contact with a German man in the days before her murder and she was reportedly seen with the man in question at a disco.
The man Carola was reportedly seen with at the disco is said to have boasted about his brushes with the judicial authorities.
Despite police constructing a potential image of the suspect, the formal investigation into Carola’s killing was closed in 2016. De Haan’s mayor, Wilfried Vandaele, said: “A shock wave went through our community when the body of Carola Titze was found.
“Of course, we too want the perpetrator to be found at long last. Let’s hope the German investigation can provide greater clarity.”
What’s the connection to Madeleine McCann?
are yet to offer comment on whether the death of Carola Titze is being linked to the Madeleine McCann investigation.
Status of the case
The office of the public prosecutor in West Flanders, Bruges, have confirmed that they are investigating whether Brückner could have been involved in Carola’s murder, according to local newspaper reports.