(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.