A German man, a key figure in one of Europe’s most enduring unsolved mysteries, is scheduled to be released from prison this Wednesday. He has been under investigation for the 2007 disappearance of 3-year-old British girl, Madeleine McCann, and his release follows the completion of a sentence for an unrelated offense.
In 2020, German public prosecutors formally named Christian Brückner as a suspect in Madeleine McCann’s presumed kidnapping and murder. Despite his denial of involvement, no charges have been officially filed against him in connection with her case.
The London Metropolitan Police continue to consider Brückner the “primary suspect” in both the ongoing German federal investigation and their own inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance.
Brückner’s impending release from a central German prison comes after he served six years for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal. Notably, he has declined to be interviewed by British police regarding the McCann case prior to his freedom.
Below, we delve into the key details surrounding Christian Brückner’s involvement and the broader McCann investigation:
What unfolded in the Madeleine McCann case?
Madeleine McCann vanished in May 2007 from a holiday resort in Praia da Luz, located on Portugal’s picturesque southern coast, while on vacation with her family.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors from Leicester, England, had briefly left Madeleine and her two younger siblings asleep in their holiday apartment to dine with friends nearby. Kate McCann reported to police that upon checking on the children around 10 p.m., just an hour after her last check, Madeleine was gone.
The ensuing search by Portuguese police quickly expanded to include British officers. Madeleine’s case garnered immense media attention, with her photo becoming instantly recognizable across Britain and Europe.
The initial Portuguese police investigation faced significant public criticism, particularly after Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were controversially named as suspects. They were officially cleared of any involvement in 2008.
This exhaustive international search effort has since inspired numerous books, dominated countless front pages, and been the subject of a compelling Netflix documentary series.
Despite the immense global publicity and ongoing efforts, Madeleine McCann’s whereabouts remain unknown.
When did German investigators first focus on Christian Brückner?
Christian Brückner, a German national with an extensive criminal history including convictions for sexual assault and child abuse, resided in Portugal between 1995 and 2007.
German authorities began exploring a potential connection in 2013, sparked by Madeleine’s parents discussing the case on German television, as confirmed by Christian Hoppe, head of Germany’s federal criminal police. In 2020, following Mr. Hoppe’s public announcement of an investigation, the public prosecutor in Braunschweig, Germany, escalated the inquiry into a formal murder investigation targeting a then 43-year-old German.
This marked a significant shift, as German authorities, for the first time, explicitly referred to the case as a murder investigation, diverging from British investigators who still classify Madeleine as a missing person.
When this murder investigation was announced, Brückner was already serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman, a crime committed in close proximity to the resort from where Madeleine disappeared.
What is the current status of the investigation?
Despite receiving over a thousand tips, German investigators continue their efforts to build a case against Brückner. However, the McCann investigation seems to have reached an impasse.
Recent joint searches this past summer by German and Portuguese police in the area of Madeleine’s disappearance, including a cabin Brückner once occupied, reportedly yielded no significant new evidence.
In an unusual procedural step, the Braunschweig public prosecutor formally acknowledged Brückner as a suspect in the McCann case in 2022. This occurred as they filed five new charges of rape and sexual abuse against him, pertaining to crimes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, separate from the McCann inquiry.
Why is Christian Brückner being released?
In the aforementioned case involving five new charges of rape and child abuse in Braunschweig, the state’s prosecutor contended that Brückner posed a significant danger to society. They sought a 15-year sentence and continued security custody, which would have extended his incarceration beyond his current release date.
However, following a 38-day trial in October, a judge acquitted Brückner, citing insufficient evidence. The state prosecutor has since appealed this verdict.
As of Wednesday, Christian Brückner will have completed his 2019 sentence and is legally free to leave prison. Concerns that he might flee the country have led the public prosecutor to petition a judge for an order mandating an ankle bracelet and continuous monitoring by authorities.