Police searching for Madeleine McCann 'face new roadblock' after lake search provides nothing 'of use'

25 June 2023, 17:23

Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007
Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007. Picture: PA

By Adam Solomons

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann say they are 'disappointed' that nothing found during the search of a reservoir in Portugal is 'of use'.

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They now face a 'roadblock' as no useful clues were found in the three-day joint operation between German and Portuguese police earlier this month.

That's despite soil from the Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 30 miles from where Madeleine was last seen in May 2007, being taken to Germany for testing.

A source close to the investigation told The Sun: "Sadly, it’s looking increasingly like the search of the reservoir will not provide any answers or fresh leads.

Read more: Madeleine McCann police seize 'a number of items' after reservoir search in Portugal

Read more: Madeleine McCann suspect may be released before German investigation ends but under '24/7 surveillance'

Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance.
Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Picture: Alamy

"Despite using some of the most high-tech forensic kit available none of the items have proved to be of use. 

"It feels like a bit of a roadblock has been hit."

Prime suspect Christian Brueckner once called the area his "little paradise".

Eight holes around 2ft deep were also drilled, suggesting officers were looking for buried items or soil samples.

Portuguese Police Search Reservoir For Missing British Toddler Madeleine McCann
Portuguese Police Search Reservoir For Missing British Toddler Madeleine McCann. Picture: Getty

Brueckner is currently behind bars for the rape of a woman close to where Madeleine McCann disappeared.

He's also suspected of further rapes and child sexual abuse committed in the area between 2000 and 2017.

He has reportedly denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

Madeleine was three when she vanished while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz, after they left her and her younger twin siblings asleep in their apartment while they went out to dinner with friends.

Missing Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann are pictured during a TV interview in 2017
Missing Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann are pictured during a TV interview in 2017. Picture: Alamy

Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia previously claimed that criminal contacts had told him that Madeleine's body was in the reservoir.

In 2008 he raised funds for unsuccessful private searches of the water.

The latest searches came as the Home Office granted an extra £110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over £300,000 last year.

The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under £13.1 million since 2011.

Items seized in Madeleine McCann search ‘cannot yet be linked’ to disappearance

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