{"id":26822,"date":"2025-05-07T13:49:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=26822"},"modified":"2025-05-07T13:49:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:49:45","slug":"timeline-of-madeleine-mccann-case-as-german-police-find-evidence-shes-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=26822","title":{"rendered":"Timeline of Madeleine McCann case as German police ‘find evidence she’s dead’"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

German police have found compelling evidence which suggests that Madeleine McCann is dead, according to reports.<\/p>\n

What happened to the Brit toddler after she disappeared in Praia da Luz,\u00a0Portugal<\/a>, back in May 2007 has remained a mystery for the last 18 years.<\/p>\n

Her\u00a0parents<\/a>, Kate and Gerry, vowed to never give up hope of finding their daughter alive – but have previously prepared themselves for the worst, given the lack of prominent leads.<\/p>\n

“All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice,” the couple said in 2020, as\u00a0per<\/a>\u00a0People.<\/p>\n

“We will never give up hope of finding\u00a0Madeleine<\/a>\u00a0alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know, as we need to find peace.”<\/p>\n

But it seems the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance may have just turned a corner, after\u00a0German<\/a>\u00a0authorities reportedly made a string of damning findings.<\/p>\n

After\u00a0raiding long-time suspect Christian Brueckner’s bolthole<\/a>, cops discovered masks, unlicensed guns and ammunition, children\u2019s toys and bikes – although he has no children himself.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Madeleine\"Madeleine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Madeleine has been missing for the last 18 years (PA)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Up to 75 children’s swimming costumes were also chillingly found, according\u00a0to<\/a>\u00a0The Sun, while six USB sticks and two memory cards containing disturbing material were said to have been uncovered.<\/p>\n

The publication also alleged that stories written by Brueckner discussing his obsession with snatching children was also found by cops during a raid in 2008 at a disused factory in Neuwegersleben, that he reportedly bought for \u00a320,000.<\/p>\n

Images which show the prime suspect at the Arade Dam, an area situated around 35 miles from where Madeleine first went missing, were also found on Brueckner’s computer, it has been claimed.<\/p>\n

Police also supposedly have proof which definitively demonstrates that he was at a festival in April 2008 where he allegedly confessed killing the little girl to a friend, as he is said to have told the pal that Madeline ‘did not scream’.<\/p>\n

Authorities have been compiling a cache of evidence against Brueckner for years, despite him denying any involvement – so let’s take a look back at how they have now reached the conclusion that Madeleine is sadly deceased.<\/p>\n

May 2007<\/h2>\n

Madeleine, who would be turning 4 in a few days, disappeared from the apartment her family were staying in during a holiday to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal.<\/p>\n

A huge investigation which spanned across the globe was launched to find the then-three-year-old.<\/p>\n

January 2016<\/h2>\n

Brueckner came on the cops’ radar in regards to Maddie after a neighbour reported a possible ‘grave’ at his so-called lair in the east of Germany, The Sun\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Officers are then said to have found the\u00a0USB sticks<\/a>\u00a0which contained horrifying content, prompting a full-scale search of the abandoned property.<\/p>\n

February 2016<\/h2>\n

Brueckner was found guilty of abusing a girl, aged five, in a park after police found chilling images on his computer.<\/p>\n

He received a 15-month sentence – but he was already on the run.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"The\"The<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The prime suspect pictured in a German court in September 2024 (MICHAEL MATTHEY\/POOL\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/div>\n

May 2017<\/h2>\n

Around the time of the ten-year anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance, an information hotline received a call from a man known as Helge B.<\/p>\n

The caller alleged that Brueckner confessed taking the little girl in Portugal, saying he was compelled to share the information after watching a\u00a0TV<\/a>\u00a0programme about the notorious missing person’s case.<\/p>\n

September 2018<\/h2>\n

Brueckner is apprehended in Italy while on the run, regarding outstanding\u00a0drugs<\/a>\u00a0charges.<\/p>\n

He was extradited back to Germany a year later.<\/p>\n

December 2019<\/h2>\n

Brueckner is convicted on home soil for the rape of a\u00a0US<\/a>\u00a0woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal.<\/p>\n

His DNA was found at the scene and he was sentenced to seven years in\u00a0prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Kate\"Kate<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Kate and Gerry have never given up hope of finding their daughter (Miguel Villagran\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/div>\n

June 2020<\/h2>\n

Authorities in Germany announced that they have\u00a0a prime suspect<\/a>\u00a0in Madeleine’s disappearance in custody, while suggesting they believed\u00a0the missing girl is dead<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The suspect in question was later identified as Brueckner by local media.<\/p>\n

February 2024<\/h2>\n

Brueckner stood trial for\u00a0rape<\/a>\u00a0and sexual assault charges, which did not relate to the Madeleine’s case.<\/p>\n

It was hoped that they could nail a conviction, with German lawmakers reportedly intending on then prosecuting him in Madeleine’s case.<\/p>\n

October 2024<\/h2>\n

Months later, Brueckner was sensationally cleared of all of the allegations.<\/p>\n

German prosecutors lodged an appeal against the ruling, the outcome of which is still yet to be decided.<\/p>\n

Brueckner is set to be released from prison on 17 September later this year in relation to his seven-year sentence.<\/p>\n

He has never been formally charged in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  German police have found compelling evidence which suggests that Madeleine McCann is dead, according to reports. What happened to the Brit toddler after she disappeared in Praia da Luz,\u00a0Portugal, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26824,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26822\/revisions\/26824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}