Fresh Madeleine McCann search begins as cops scour area near prime suspect's home after tip-off
3 June 2025, 05:34 | Updated: 3 June 2025, 07:28
Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will begin a fresh search this morning.
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German police officers are set to scour through more than 20 plots of land in Praia da Luz, near the home of prime suspect Christian Brueckner.
The then three-year-old vanished from a holiday spot near the house on May 3 2007 - becoming perhaps the most high-profile missing persons case this century.
High-tech radar equipment that can search underground is set to be used in this latest attempt to find any evidence pointing to McCann’s whereabouts.
Read more: Who is Madeleine McCann and who is Christian Brueckner?
Portuguese police agreed to cooperate with the search after judicial authorities approved it following a formal request from German police and prosecutors, according to reports.
The fresh search comes as German authorities look to build a case against Brueckner..
A source told the Sun: “German cops know it is now or never so they need to push ahead with every credible tip they have.
“Following Brueckner’s trial last year someone contacted them with theories on where anyone who took Madeleine might have dumped her, or her clothes.
“They told cops about trenches that were dug in Praia at the time Madeleine disappeared — and the house where Brueckner had lived on the edge of the village.
“Of course, all these places have been searched over and over again — but now they have a new weapon in their ground-scanning radar.
“It means they don’t need to dig for the sake of it. But as soon as they spot anything of interest they are ready to excavate and check it.
“With time running out they are praying they get a breakthrough.”
British police are not involved in this latest search but are said to be monitoring the situation.
The search is expected to last around three days unless any bombshell clues are discovered.
It marks the first search in Portugal in over two years following a major joint operation between local and German police, which lasted almost a week.
These took place in 2023 at a remote dam around 40-minute-drive from Praia da Luz. This spot - Arade Dam - had been described as "little paradise".
Brueckner, 48, is due for release from prison in September. The convicted rapist has always denied being involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
He has never been charged with any crimes in connection with Madeleine's disappearance from a Portuguese hotel, where she was on holiday with her parents.
Upon his release from prison, Brueckner is said to be planning to move to another country where he will not be extradited to Britain or Germany.
Philipp Marquort, one of Brueckner's lawyers, said he had considered leaving Europe altogether.
"Sometimes he wants to stay here in Germany, sometimes he wants to leave Europe," he told the Mirror.
"If I were him I would leave Europe and look for a state which doesn't extradite to Europe or Great Britain, maybe like Suriname."
He was previously accused of three rapes and two child sex abuse cases between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal.
A court found him not guilty of all charges.
Last month, Madeleine’s family marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as “beautiful and unique” before her 22nd birthday, and expressing their determination to keep searching.
A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said: “The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to ‘leave no stone unturned’ is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.”
In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine’s disappearance.
