Madeleine McCann Suspect Christian Brueckner Has Been Released From Prison

Surprising development today as the top suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has walked free from prison after serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime.

Christian Brueckner, 49, has been the prime suspect in Maddie’s disappearance since 2020, with police even claiming to have found  ‘significant evidence’ of his involvement in a factory owned by him. There are also three witnesses who claim that he confessed to them.

One was a ‘former associate’ of his who he told at a festival that Maddie “didn’t scream when I took her”, and the other is a former cellmate who testified that Brueckner had told him about how he abducted a child from an apartment in Portugal.

Well apparently this evidence was not significant enough, because the German has now been released after prosecutors failed to find enough to charge him with.

Brueckner was already imprisoned in Germany for raping a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005; the same village in Portugal where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

Aside from his conviction for the rape of this woman in the Algarve, Brueckner also has convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking.

Brueckner lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, which included a period spent working as a pool maintenance assistant at the Praia da Luz resort where the McCanns were staying when their daughter disappeared.

So, what now? German newspaper Der Spiegel says Brueckner has been electronically tagged, must declare a place of residence, and cannot leave without permission, so at least he’s not completely off the hook.

Earlier this week, DCI Mark Cranwell of the Metropolitan Police revealed the Met had requested to interview Brueckner for themselves – but he had refused to cooperate. And so, the force will need to pursue other ‘viable lines of enquiry’ as it continues to search for evidence.

Very frustrating indeed. Nearly 20 years on from Maddie’s disappearance, and still there seem to be more questions than answers. During the raid of Brueckner’s factory, police found a hard-drive that included disturbing stories in which he detailed his fantasies of snatching children, including instances where he drugs a mum and her daughter outside a pre-school, while he also abuses a young blonde girl aged four.

They also found masks, unlicensed guns and ammunition, children’s toys, and bikes, despite Brueckner having no kids of his own. As many as 75 children’s swimming costumes were also discovered. Red flag city for sure, but seemingly not enough to charge him with. Oh well, I suppose they’ll have to keep at it.

For a look at some of the conspiracy theories going around about Maddie McCann’s disappearance, click HERE.