Detectives think a remote reservoir could hold the key to solving the mystery of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in May 2007.
Police search teams are due to begin scouring the site in Portugal today. German paedophile Christian Brueckner, 45 – the prime suspect in the case – described the reservoir, Barragem do Arade, as his “little paradise”. He is believed to have lived there for a time in a motorhome.
This will be the first major search for Madeleine for nine years. The British girl was three when she vanished from Portuguese resort Praia da Luz. Roads to Barragem do Arade, a man-made dam about 30 miles from Praia da Luz, were sealed off yesterday ahead of the search. German prosecutors are leading the operation, with Scotland Yard detectives also in attendance.
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Officers from Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria are expected to carry out the physical search, which is due to last two days. Divers will explore the murky depths of the reservoir, which is near the town of Silves. Teams will also comb scrubland next to the water. It is the first overseas-led search since British police dug for clues on wasteland in Praia da Luz in the Algarve in 2014.
Brueckner was living in a ramshackle farmhouse close to the resort shortly before Madeleine vanished. His friend Michael Tatschl claimed in 2020 that Brueckner often visited a reservoir half an hour inland from Praia da Luz. He added that Brueckner “spent a lot of time there” with fellow German drifter Christian Post.
Mr Post denied any knowledge of the reservoir when the Mirror tracked him down in Cambodia last year. But he said he was “100% certain” Brueckner, who made a living burgling holiday apartments, snatched Madeleine.
Barragem do Arade was searched in 2008 by divers hired by Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia who claimed he was told Madeleine had been murdered and her body thrown into the reservoir. Two bags containing small bones, several lengths of cord, plastic tape and a white cotton sock were found in the hunt. Portuguese police were informed about the items but ruled out the bones being human due to their size.
Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry previously dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist. They said there was no evidence to suggest a link between their daughter and the reservoir.
A peninsula about a mile long jutting into Barragem do Arade was sealed off at around noon yesterday. Several council lorries were on the piece of land as tents and other structures were put up. Behind them in another area just under a mile away, Portuguese Civil Protection workers and police were setting up large blue tents.
An onlooker said: “There are around two dozen Policia Judiciaria officers who seem to be supervising things at this stage.”
German officers arrived at the reservoir last night. They were travelling in three Volkswagen vans and a Ford Ranger with a Portuguese police escort in front.
It was not known last night if the search is based on new evidence or has been planned for months. One well-placed source said the operation is linked to information the authorities had gleaned, pointing to trips Brueckner made to the dam. The insider added: “Portuguese police will offer logistical support but the initiative is German. Scotland Yard officers are due to travel to Portugal but theirs will be a watching brief.”
German prosecutors said they will release further information about the search this morning.
Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria said: “[We] confirm that, regarding the investigation of an English child... steps are still being taken to fully clarify the situation. In the next few days in the Algarve region, new searches will be carried out, co-ordinated by [us] at the request of the German authorities and with the presence of British authorities.”
Several reservoirs in the Algarve have previously been explored as part of the investigation. The waters of Barragem da Bravura and surrounding woodland were searched by officers. In the days after Madeleine vanished, volunteer fire crews used underwater equipment and boats to search the Bravura dam.
Fresh searches of the 25-mile perimeter were carried out months later on the orders of leading detective Paulo Rebelo. He believed the area was not combed carefully enough earlier.
Kate and Gerry were with friends in a nearby restaurant when their girl vanished from their holiday apartment. The couple, from Rothley, Leics, have always refused to give up hope that she will be found alive.
They posted a tribute to mark her 20th birthday this month. In the message to her, they said: “We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up. Happy birthday, Madeleine. Still missing. Still very much missed. Still looking. For as long as it takes.” The couple are said to be being kept informed of any developments from the new search.
Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in 2020. Officers linked a camper van to the case. Brueckner – in jail in Germany for raping a woman in Praia da Luz – denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance. He had been awaiting trial for rapes and child sexual assaults allegedly committed in Portugal, but the charges were dropped last month after a court ruling over who had jurisdiction.
The charges were filed in the German city of Brunswick as he was said to have lived there in 2016. But his lawyer argued he was living 30 miles away. A Brunswick court ruled in his favour, saying it had no jurisdiction over the case. Prosecutors say they think the ruling will be overturned on appeal.
A statement from Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria said last night: “The Judiciary Police confirms that, regarding the investigation of an English child, which occurred in the Algarve in 2007, steps are still being taken to fully clarify the situation. Within the scope of international cooperation, in the next few days in the Algarve region, new searches will be carried out, coordinated by the Judiciary Police, at the request of the German authorities and with the presence of British authorities. Information will be provided in due course on the outcome of the proceedings.”
The Portuguese police statement came as as German police arrived at the reservoir where today’s search will start. They were travelling in three Volkswagen vans, two black and one dark-blue, and a Ford Ranger with a Portuguese police escort in front. They showed up around 6.30pm local time.
It was the first time all day any German officials had been seen at the reservoir, where Portuguese police and civil protection workers arrived around lunchtime today (MON) to prepare the ground for the searches starting tomorrow (TUE).
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