BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Madeleine McCann missing person case set to end later this year

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

Testing widget old system

Lorenzo shared

(NewsNation) — It has been nearly 15 years since British 3-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing while vacationing with her family in Portugal, and the investigation opened by London’s Metropolitan Police is set to end soon.

Reports say funding for the investigation will expire in September. Reports say the case will be closed at the end of the year.

Madeleine was last seen napping in her family’s vacation rental during a trip in May 2007. Her parents were eating at a restaurant just a few feet away but when they went to check on their daughter she was gone.

The closest the case came to being solved centered around a German handyman named Christian Bruckner. Bruckner worked as a handyman at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, where the McCanns were staying.

A documentary re-created the scene the night Madeleine vanished and claimed Bruckner would have easily been able to kidnap the little girl.

Around the time of her disappearance, authorities were also looking into sexual assaults targeting British girls in the area.

“There is sufficient significance, in terms of the consistent features amongst the offense, which makes us believe they are connected,” said Andy Redwood, the chief inspector of Scotland Yard.

Filmmakers also combed through phone records, showing Bruckner was no more than five minutes away from the resort when Madeleine went missing.

Bruckner was first named a potential suspect in 2017 and later became the only remaining suspect in the case after investigators found a child’s toy bucket in his backyard.

The German handyman maintains his innocence to this day, writing letters to journalists saying he did not abduct her. There is no physical evidence tying Bruckner to McCann.

Bruckner is currently serving time in a German prison after being found guilty in a 2005 rape.

Madeleine’s parents are holding out hope that she’s still alive.

“There’s no evidence to suggest she’s come to any harm. There’s good reason to think that she is out there alive,” said Kate McCann, Madeleine’s mother.

Missing

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Cloudy

la

65°F Cloudy Feels like 65°
Wind
1 mph E
Humidity
77%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
61°F Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
6 mph W
Precip
8%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous