Madeleine McCann cops search wooded area with sniffer dogs as reservoir hunt continues
24 May 2023, 15:04 | Updated: 25 May 2023, 03:22
Police hunting for Madeleine McCann are now using sniffer dogs to hunt evidence of the tots whereabouts in a forest - after beginning a sweep of a reservoir nearby yesterday.
Divers searching the reservoir near where Madeleine McCann vanished are searching for signs of the pink Eeyore pyjamas that she was wearing when she went missing.
Sources in Portugal have claimed that the item of interest that the police are searching for are the clothes Madeleine was wearing when she disappeared.
The reservoir became of interest when a photo of the water body was found at the home of the prime suspect in the case.
The prime suspect in her disappearance, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017.
The police entered the water yesterday and have been seen removing several bags from the water while responding to a request from German authorities investigating Brueckner.
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The Policia Judiciaria of Portugal are also allowing British officers to observe the search.
Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.
German prosecutor Christian Wolter said: "We are investigating in Portugal on the basis of certain tips (tip-offs).
"I can't disclose the background at the moment, like why we are searching there and what we hope to find there. That shall remain our secret for the moment."
Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry are expected to be kept informed of any developments as a result of the new search through Scotland Yard liaison officers.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters has consistently said he is convinced Madeleine is dead and caged paedophile Brueckner, 45, has been named as the sole suspect.
He is currently serving time for the September 2005 rape of an American OPA in the resort where Madeleine vanished and has yet to face any formal accusation over the youngster’s disappearance.
Last April he was made an official suspect, or arguido, in Portugal over Madeleine’s disappearance, although his defence lawyer Friedrich Fulscher labelled it a “procedural trick” linked to statute of limitations legislation at the time.
Last autumn Bruecker was charged in Germany with several sex crimes on the Algarve against women and children including the rape of an Irish holiday rep in 2004 and the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl on a beach near Praia da Luz in 2007.
Brueckner’s lawyer revealed in April those charges had been dropped against him in a bombshell development after successfully arguing prosecutors had no jurisdiction over him in Braunschweig where the Madeleine case was being brought.
