Madeleine McCann – latest: Search of Portugal reservoir ends as ‘materials’ sent away for tests
Material collected in a three-day hunt for evidence over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will be sent to Germany for testing, the Portuguese police have confirmed.
Officers concluded their search of the Algarve reservoir on Thursday, where key suspect Christian Brueckner reportedly visited “some days” after the three-year-old vanished on May 3, 2007.
Using sniffer dogs and a tractor-based tree-cutter, authorities have been scouring Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve - around 31 miles inland from where the McCanns were staying.
On Tuesday, officers acting on “credible information” were said to be seeking any fragments of clothing and old rags that could be related to her disappearance, as reported by the Daily Mail.
A source close to the investigation told Reuters there was nothing tangible to report while German prosecutor Christian Wolters played down hopes, adding: “Of course, there is a certain expectation, but it is not high.”
Brueckner has denied any involvement and is currently behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same part of Portugal.
Key Points
Portugal reservoir search to end in hours as police told to ‘stand down'
Key suspect Christian Brueckner visited reservoir ‘days after disappearance’
Investigators looking for Madeleine’s ‘pink pyjamas’
Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him
Timeline in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann
‘Relevant clue’ found in search of reservoir
08:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A three-day search of a remote Portugal reservoir has resulted in the reported discovery of a “relevant clue” linked to the disappearace of Madeleine McCann.
Officers concluded their search of the Algarve reservoir on Thursday, where key suspect Christian Brueckner reportedly visited “some days” after the three-year-old vanished on May 3, 2007.
Using sniffer dogs and a tractor-based tree-cutter, authorities scoured Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve - around 31 miles inland from where the McCanns were staying in the Praia de Luz resort.
During the search, a “relevant clue” was found which led to police officers concentrating on a specific paper, according to the Correio de Manhã newspaper.
Police in Portugal said: “[The search] resulted in the collection of some material that will be subject to the competent expertise. The material collected will be handed over to the German authorities.”
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
08:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann vanished from the Algarve holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
But three years on, 43-year-old convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner – who denies any connection to the missing youngster – is yet to be charged, as he languishes in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance at the same resort.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann police cut down trees as they search suspect’s ‘little paradise’ in Portugal
07:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police have cut down trees and swathes of undergrowth as they continued to search Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s “little paradise” in Portugal.
Officers were working with strimmers and heavy machinery at the Barragem do Arade on Wednesday, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.
On the second day of the latest hunt for the missing girl, the search team were morning focusing on a valley slightly north of a secluded clearing behind trees near where three tents were put up on Monday.
The dense vegetation meant they had to use tools including chainsaws to remove trees to access the water properly.
Officers are also understood to be searching the reservoir for the pink pyjamas Madeleine was wearing when she vanished, sources close to the investigation have said.
German prosecutor plays down hope of a breakthrough
07:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A source close to the investigation told Reuters there was nothing tangible to report, while German prosecutor Christian Wolters played down hopes of a breakthrough, saying: “Of course, there is a certain expectation, but it is not high.”
He added that the investigators were looking for a body, but also for anything that could help the investigation, such as clothing.
Mr Wolters said he did not expect the results of the studies of the collected samples to be announced any time soon.
Portugal police end latest search for clues into missing McCann child case, no results released
06:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police in Portugal have ended the latest search for clues regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the British child who went missing in 2007 in southern Portugal.
Authorities gave no details about the results of the search Thursday. A statement by Portugal’s Judiciary Police said some material had been collected and would be handed over to German authorities for examination.
The search around a dam some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Praia da Luz resort, where the three-year-old girl was last seen 16 years ago, began Tuesday following a request by German authorities.
A German man who is a suspect in the case is currently in jail in Germany for a different case.
Portuguese, German and British police took part in the three-day operation during which detectives probed the banks of the Arade reservoir and also used sniffer dogs and a drone.
Portugal police end latest search for clues into missing McCann child case, no results released
How the search was completed
06:00 , William Mata
As part of this latest three-day investigation, police dug holes of around 60cm and these have been left, along with piles of soil, now that authorities have left the digging area.
The surrounding woodland showed pathways had been cut by heavy machinery, leading to the main flattened 160 square-foot excavation area. A no-fly zone was also imposed over the reservoir for the first two days.
In a statement, police in Portugal said: “[The search] resulted in the collection of some material that will be subject to the competent expertise. The material collected will be handed over to the German authorities.”
The new searches come as the Home Office granted an extra £110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over £300,000 last year.
The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under £13.1 million since 2011.
Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him
05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year.
His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly identified as having been near to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal where the young girl went missing on May 3, 2007.
Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from the bed of her holiday apartment while her parents and family friends dined 180 feet away. Her two-year-old twin siblings were also in the apartment she went missing from. Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann have been searching for answers ever since.
The Metropolitan Police took over the investigation, Operation Grange, in 2011 but they hit dead ends. There has not been another significant suspect in the case since 2007 until Brueckner.
All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him
Police flatten area of woodland and dig holes in Madeleine McCann searches
05:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police have flattened a concentrated area of woodland and dug a number of holes near a remote reservoir in Portugal as part of their three-day hunt for evidence in the Madeleine McCann case.
Huge piles of soil and broken rock were left next to the 160 sq ft area close to the banks of the Barragem do Arade, where officers were seen with shovels for a number of hours on Wednesday afternoon.
Portuguese police confirmed the search concluded on Thursday, and said materials had been sent to Germany for testing.
The surrounding woodland showed pathways had been cut by heavy machinery, with large branches lining the routes towards the area of focus.
The small section of woodland was clearly marked out by officers over the course of their three-day search in Portugal.
The cordon around the site, which had been in place since Tuesday morning to allow officers to scour the area with rakes, pickaxes and sniffer dogs, has since been lifted.
Police were given the go-ahead to search the area after German prosecutors received “certain tips” about the case.
A few kilometres away from the search, blue tents had been erected for briefings to take place.
Madeleine McCann police give update as they end search of Portugal reservoir
04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police have said materials unearthed during a three-day hunt for evidence over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann at a remote reservoir in Portugal are being sent off for analysis.
Authorities have been scouring Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve this week, using sniffer dogs and cutting down trees as part of the search inland from the coastal resort where the then-three-year-old went missing in 2007.
As police concluded their three-day search on Thursday, they confirmed “materials collected” had been sent to Germany for analysis.
A source close to the investigation told Reuters there was nothing tangible to report, while German prosecutor Christian Wolters played down hopes of a breakthrough, saying: “Of course, there is a certain expectation, but it is not high.”
He added that the investigators were looking for a body, but also for anything that could help the investigation, such as clothing.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
04:00 , William Mata
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann vanished from the Algarve holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
But three years on, 43-year-old convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner – who denies any connection to the missing youngster – is yet to be charged, as he languishes in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance at the same resort.
Click here for more information
Pictures: Search for Madeleine McCann continues
03:00 , William Mata
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
02:00 , William Mata
Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on May 3, 2007.
For more than 16 years the case has gripped the public attention but while there have been some signs of progress, the investigation has remained unsolved.
Here is a reminder of the events of the case.
Watch: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir
01:00 , William Mata
Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him
Friday 26 May 2023 00:00 , William Mata
German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year.
His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly identified as having been near to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal where the young girl went missing on May 3, 2007.
Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from the bed of her holiday apartment while her parents and family friends dined 180 feet away. Her two-year-old twin siblings were also in the apartment she went missing from. Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann have been searching for answers ever since.
The Metropolitan Police took over the investigation, Operation Grange, in 2011 but they hit dead ends. There has not been another significant suspect in the case since 2007 until Brueckner.
Read the full story here.
How the search was completed
Thursday 25 May 2023 23:00 , William Mata
As part of this latest three-day investigation, police dug holes of around 60cm and these have been left, along with piles of soil, now that authorities have left the digging area.
The surrounding woodland showed pathways had been cut by heavy machinery, leading to the main flattened 160 square-foot excavation area. A no-fly zone was also imposed over the reservoir for the first two days.
In a statement, police in Portugal said: “[The search] resulted in the collection of some material that will be subject to the competent expertise. The material collected will be handed over to the German authorities.”
The new searches come as the Home Office granted an extra £110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over £300,000 last year.
The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under £13.1 million since 2011.
German prosecutor plays down hope of a breakthrough
Thursday 25 May 2023 22:00 , William Mata
A source close to the investigation told Reuters there was nothing tangible to report, while German prosecutor Christian Wolters played down hopes of a breakthrough, saying: “Of course, there is a certain expectation, but it is not high.”
He added that the investigators were looking for a body, but also for anything that could help the investigation, such as clothing.
Mr Wolters said he did not expect the results of the studies of the collected samples to be announced any time soon.
Madeleine McCann police give update as they end search of Portugal reservoir
Thursday 25 May 2023 21:01 , William Mata
Police have said materials unearthed during a three-day hunt for evidence over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann at a remote reservoir in Portugal are being sent off for analysis.
Authorities have been scouring Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve this week, using sniffer dogs and cutting down trees as part of the search inland from the coastal resort where the then-three-year-old went missing in 2007.
As police concluded their three-day search on Thursday, they confirmed “materials collected” had been sent to Germany for analysis.
Officers photograph excavation site before police told to stand down
Thursday 25 May 2023 14:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police were seen photographing an excavation site near the banks of a remote reservoir in Portugal as the fresh Madeleine McCann searches entered a third day.
Officers maintained their focus on an area of woodland on a peninsula at the Barragem do Arade on Thursday after a digging operation was commenced on Wednesday afternoon.
Heavy machinery, which had been used to cut through the vast undergrowth, was removed from the search area on Thursday afternoon amid reports that officers had been told to stand down by 4pm.
A large section of the Barragem do Arade has been cordoned off since Tuesday morning, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.
Officers used shovels to excavate their area of focus, and sniffer dogs and pickaxes have also been deployed over the course of the searches.
As some concentrated on the digging site, others used rakes and shovels to scour the surrounding area, slowly making their way through the recently trimmed undergrowth.
The operation is being carried out at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 45, kidnapped and murdered the youngster.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Thursday 25 May 2023 14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann vanished from the Algarve holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
But three years on, 43-year-old convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner – who denies any connection to the missing youngster – is yet to be charged, as he languishes in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance at the same resort.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
ICYMI: Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him
Thursday 25 May 2023 14:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for more than 15 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged. Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s the Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.
German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year. His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly identified as having been near to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal where the young girl went missing on May 3, 2007.
All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him
In pictures: Scenes at Portugal reservoir today
Thursday 25 May 2023 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Watch: Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir
Thursday 25 May 2023 13:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Portugal reservoir search to end in hours as police told to ‘stand down'
Thursday 25 May 2023 12:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Madeleine McCann search is expected to end in hours as Portugal police have been ordered to stand down at the Algarve reservoir.
An investigation has been taking place since Tuesday this week after German detectives were informed by a “very credible source” that key suspect Christian Brueckner visited the reservoir “some days” after Madeleine vanished.
However, The Mirror reported that a police souce said: “The GNR has received instructions to stand down at 4pm local time.”
The Barragem do Arade is around 31 miles from the Praia da Luz resort where Maddy disappeared. Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann police searching remote location visited by key suspect
Thursday 25 May 2023 12:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police looking for Madeleine McCann are to begin a major search of a remote Algarve reservoir visited by main suspect Christian Brueckner.
The scene is some 30 miles from the Praia da Luz holiday resort where the three-year-old vanished in May 2007. A mile-long peninsula jutting into the reservoir was sealed off just after midday on Monday, with several local council lorries spotted there as tents and other structures were erected.
Just under a mile away, Portuguese civil protection workers and police were seen 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.”
Portugal’s judiciary police confirmed reports of the German-led investigation on Monday evening, with German and British officers expected to reach the area imminently.
Live: Portugal's police continue search in dam for Madeleine McCann on third day
Thursday 25 May 2023 12:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Watch the livestream of Portugal’s police searching the Algarve reservoir on the third day of the Madeleine McCann search.
Live: Portugal's police continue search in dam for Madeleine McCann on third day
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Thursday 25 May 2023 12:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but emergence of new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure:
What happened to Madeleine McCann?
Officers photograph digging site on day three of Madeleine McCann search
Thursday 25 May 2023 11:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police have begun photographing an excavation site near the banks of a remote reservoir in Portugal as the fresh Madeleine McCann searches entered a third day.
Officers maintained their focus on an area of woodland on a peninsula at the Barragem do Arade on Thursday after a digging operation was commenced on Wednesday afternoon.
Heavy machinery continued to cut through vast undergrowth at the site, while a mixture of uniformed and plain-clothed officers raked the ground.
A large section of the Barragem do Arade has been cordoned off since Tuesday morning, around 30 miles from where Madeleine went missing in 2007.
Officers used shovels to excavate their area of focus, and sniffer dogs and pickaxes have also been deployed over the course of the searches.
As some concentrated on the digging site, others used rakes and shovels to scour the surrounding area, slowly making their way through the recently trimmed undergrowth.
The operation is being carried out at the request of German investigators who believe their prime suspect, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 45, kidnapped and murdered the youngster.
He is currently in prison in Germany for the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, and is suspected of further rapes and child sexual abuse committed in the area between 2000 and 2017.
German authorities have not revealed what triggered the latest search operation, but prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig Christian Wolters said they were acting on the basis of “certain tips”.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Thursday 25 May 2023 11:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Sixteen years after Madeleine McCann vanished from the Algarve holiday apartment where she was sleeping next to her infant twin siblings, police have launched a major new search for evidence.
After laying dormant for several years since David Cameron kickstarted an ultimately fruitless Metropolitan Police inquiry in 2011, the case of the missing three-year-old was revived once more in 2020 when German prosecutors revealed a new suspect.
But three years on, 43-year-old convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner – who denies any connection to the missing youngster – is yet to be charged, as he languishes in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman two years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance at the same resort.
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
Madeleine McCann reservoir search: What do we know about Portugal’s Barragem do Arade?
Thursday 25 May 2023 11:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann 16 years ago have begun searching a reservoir in the Algarve known to have been frequented by the latest suspect in the case.
Ms McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was just three years old when she went missing from an apartment complex at the Ocean Club holiday resort of Praia da Luz in the municipality of Lagos on 3 May 2007.
Her case remains unsolved and is still the subject of intense public and press interest.
Her parents, doctors Gerry and Kate McCann, continue to campaign for her return and recently posted a poem remembering her on their Find Madeleine website, reminding readers that she is “still missing ... still very much missed”.
What do we know about the reservoir being searched by Madeleine McCann investigators?
Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him
Thursday 25 May 2023 10:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for more than 15 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged. Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.
German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and officially named as a suspect last year. His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly identified as having been near to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal where the young girl went missing on May 3, 2007.
All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner and the accusations against him
ICYMI: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used by police in fresh Madeleine McCann searches
Thursday 25 May 2023 10:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police have combed the banks of a reservoir in Portugal with the help of sniffer dogs, rakes and pickaxes as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Emergency service divers were seen on a rigid-hull inflatable boat early on Tuesday morning at the Barragem do Arade – around 30 miles from Praia da Luz, where the three-year-old went missing in 2007.
Officers concentrated their search at one area of the reservoir – erecting white tents on a hill on the banks.
Further around the water, emergency services and officials from Portugal, Germany and the UK were seen holding briefings near blue police tents.
In the search area, uniformed and plain-clothed officers spent a number of hours scouring the banks – hammering away at the ground with pickaxes and combing through small rocks with rakes and spades.
Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used by police in fresh Madeleine McCann searches
In pictures: Search for Madeleine McCann continues at Portugal’s reservoir
Thursday 25 May 2023 09:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Authorities gather at a Judiciary Police (PJ) makeshift base camp in the Arade dam area as the Madeleine McCann search continues.
Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake ‘for her pink pyjamas’
Thursday 25 May 2023 09:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Police are searching a Portuguese lake for the pink pyjamas Madeleine McCann was wearing when she vanished in 2007, sources close to the investigation have said.
Officers are searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal for any fragments of clothing or old rags that could be related to Madeleine’s disappearance, according to reports.
Investigators suspect that 45-year-old German prisoner Christian Brueckner killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.
Madeleine McCann police searching Portuguese lake for ‘her pink pyjamas’
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
Thursday 25 May 2023 09:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Kate and Gerry McCann’s eldest daughter vanished from a Portuguese holiday resort 16 years ago but the emergence of a new suspect has brought fresh hope of answers and closure:
What happened to Madeleine McCann?
Watch live: Police scour reservoir for second day in Madeleine McCann search
Thursday 25 May 2023 08:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Watch live as police search a reservoir in Portugal for a second day on Wednesday, 23 May, in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Portuguese authorities, assisted by German police, set up tents an area near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 50km (31 miles) from where the toddler went missing aged three in Praia da Luz in 2007.
Searches are being conducted at the request of German police in the presence of British officers.
Watch live: Police scour reservoir for second day in Madeleine McCann search
