Madeleine was three when she vanished from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3 2007. Christian Brueckner, a German paedophile, has been a prime suspect in her disappearance for years.
A bombshell cache of horrifying documentation, pictures, children’s swimming costumes and toys was reportedly uncovered at a former box-making factory he bought in 2008, a year after the British girl was last seen.
Among the disturbing finds was a hard drive of images that police are said to have kept secret – but are reportedly believed to uphold investigators’ long-held belief that Madeleine was killed.
Police reportedly also later found an insurance document that is said corroborate an informant’s account that he allegedly confessed to her murder in Spain in 2008.
The materials found by police, revealed in a Sun investigation to be broadcast on Channel 4 on Wednesday night, reportedly shed new light on Brueckner’s disturbing obsession with children and his potential involvement in the case.
Brueckner was cleared of unrelated sex attacks in the same area Madeleine vanished from last year.
But in 2016, police searching a factory owned under his name in Neuwegersleben, central Germany, uncovered what was previously reported to be some 8,000 pieces of disturbing material, alleged to include videos and pictures of suspected crimes.
Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner arrives in court in Braunschweig, Germany On October 8 2024
Madeleine McCann (pictured) went missing on May 3, 2007 at the age of just three. She has never been found. German criminal Christian Brueckner has been named by German prosecutors as their chief suspect in her disappearance
A metal suitcase that was discovered by German police in 2016 after a search. It was reportedly found to contain photographs of young girls
Among the materials reportedly found was a hard drive containing photographs believed to be taken in Portugal, thought to be crucial in persuading investigators that Madeleine died shortly after her disappearance in May 2007.
A laptop was also handed to police, the Sun reported, thought to contain vital information linking Brueckner to the case.
Police are also said to have discovered a stash of USB sticks and memory cards buried beneath the body of Brueckner’s dead dog, which was buried at the disused factory.
The storage devices are alleged to have contained thousands of files, including images of child abuse, stories detailing fantasies of abducting young girls, and records of Skype chats with other paedophiles.
One story reported by The Sun described drugging a mother and daughter outside a pre-school and abusing a four-year-old blonde girl.
These materials are believed to be among the cache that led investigators to believe that Brueckner was involved in Madeleine’s disappearance and death.
Further searches of the compound are reported to have revealed over 75 children’s swimming costumes, toys, small bikes, and masks.
Three unlicensed firearms and ammunition were also said to have been found, along with bottles of substances suspected to be chloroform or ether – chemicals that can cause unconsciousness.
The Sun also reported that a satellite navigation device seized by police traced Brueckner’s movements in the Algarve, including the Arade Dam, approximately 35 miles from where Madeleine vanished in Praia da Luz.
Pictures of Brueckner posing at the dam were also reportedly found – including a bizarre nude selfie in which he had crudely drawn a balaclava-esque mask over his face.
Bottles and substances found inside a Jaguar matching the description of Brueckner’s vehicle in Germany
Amongst the items found in the bolthole in Neuwegersleben, central Germany, were 75 child’s swimming costumes
This laptop was reported to have been handed to German police and allegedly contains information that could link Brueckner to Madeleine’s disappearance
Police recovered three black market guns and also ammunition – alongside a host of bottles of substances suspected to be chloroform or ether, both of which can cause unconsciousness
An insurance document reportedly proves for the first time Brueckner was at a festival in March 2008 where he allegedly all but confessed to killing Madeleine McCann
Police later searched areas around the Arade Dam in 2023, removing materials later sent to German authorities. Two members of the Metropolitan Police also attended the search, according to a Freedom of Information response.
It is unclear whether any of the material found in Portugal two years ago has ultimately yielded fresh evidence of Brueckner’s alleged involvement in her disappearance.
However, an insurance claim signed by Brueckner, among the cache reported by the Sun, indicates he was at a festival in Orgiva, Spain, in early 2008, where he allegedly told a friend that Madeleine ‘did not scream’.
The insurance document suggests he crashed his Winnebago at a petrol station in the town on March 20 that year. The festival ran from March 21 to 23, according to archive listings.
That claim originated in a letter written by Brueckner wrote from prison after being convicted of rape, revealed by the Mail in 2023, in which he attacked the account of a key informant, Helge Busching.
Busching had told German authorities in 2017 that Brueckner had ‘made a comment about the missing girl’ at a ‘hippy festival’ in Spain in 2008 – and later relayed the claims to national tabloid Bild.
He had said: ‘Christian asked me if I was still going to Portugal.
‘I replied: “I’m no longer going to Portugal because there are too many problems there, Portugal has too many police for me on account of the missing child.
‘”It is indeed strange that she disappeared without a trace.”
‘Christian replied: “Yes, she did not scream.”‘
Brueckner has described the account as ‘not even worthy of comment’ and has denied any involvement in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Questions also remain over Busching’s account.
A photograph thought to show Christian Brueckner at the Arade Dam – a key location in the Madeleine McCann investigation which Portuguese police went on to search in 2023
German police unearthed the disturbing cache of materials at a former box-making factory owned by Bruecker (pictured in 2020)
Plastic boxes, electronics and a bathtub dumped outside Brueckner’s run-down bolthole in Germany (pictured in 2020)
Police are seen searching areas around the Arade Dam in Portugal in May 2023
Materials were sent to German authorities for further analysis but it is not known if any decisive evidence was found
Christian Brueckner (pictured) is likely to walk free from prison later this year unless prosecutors are able to conclusively charge him in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance
German prosecutors have stated for years that they believe Brueckner is responsible for the youngster’s death.
They have previously disclosed that mobile phone location data puts Brueckner in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine disappeared.
In 2020, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Australian news programme 60 Minutes, which said 8,000 pieces of evidence had been found at the factory: ‘We have strong evidence that Madeleine McCann is dead and that our suspect killed her.
‘We don’t have the body and no parts of the body, but we have enough evidence to say our suspect killed Madeleine McCann.’
He added at the time that he had written to Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, stating as much.
‘The parents have been told the German police have evidence that she is dead but we have not told them the details,’ he said.
Despite these findings, German prosecutors have yet to charge Brueckner in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance.
Brueckner is currently serving seven years for raping an elderly American woman in the Algarve the year before Madeleine disappeared and he is due to be released later this year.
Prosecutors are seeking a retrial over separate rape claims for which he was acquitted late last year.
If that fails, they will then seek an appeal, but Brueckner’s lawyers have told MailOnline it ‘only has a ten per cent chance of succeeding’.
Just last month MailOnline revealed that the budget for detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann had been slashed.
They have been granted a further £108,000 to carry on the search for her – a drop of £84,000 on the amount awarded last year.
The money was approved in April following a request from the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Grange team who were specifically tasked with finding the toddler.
With the latest £108,000 Operation Grange has spent almost £13.5million investigating the case – prompting some to question whether it is viable considering no arrests or charges have been made.
The money comes from a special Home Office fund and is reviewed annually with Operation Grange making a request which is submitted and then considered.
Last week marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance on May 3, and also her 22nd birthday – but there has been no real breakthrough in the hunt.
Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine’s parents, hold up pyjamas similar to those of their daughter during a press conference in June 2007
Brueckner (pictured) is currently serving seven years for raping an elderly American woman in the Algarve the year before Madeleine disappeared and he is due to be released later this year
German prosecutors continue to insist they believe Madeleine is dead but are yet to publicly disclose any of the evidence supporting this theory
Portuguese police seen standing outside the Ocean Club hotel village on May 4 2007, a day after Madeleine was reported missing
Gerry and Kate McCann hold a picture of Madeleine as they make an appeal from the holiday apartment days after she disappeared
In a heart-rending statement, Kate and Gerry McCann restated their unwavering commitment to finding out the truth of what has happened to their daughter.
It read: ‘As we arrive at the 18th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction, we’d like to thank our faithful supporters once again for standing by us and never forgetting about Madeleine.
‘The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to “leave no stone unturned” is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.
‘May is also the month which includes International Missing Children’s Day (25th).
‘We continue to remember all missing children and their families, both here in the UK and abroad, thinking especially of all the children displaced from their homes & families in Ukraine and Gaza at this time.
‘We’re very grateful to the UK charity Missing People for their ongoing, invaluable work, and to all organizations, charities and police forces who remain committed, despite many challenges and limited resources, to finding & bringing home the many missing and abducted children.
‘May is also Madeleine’s birthday – her 22nd this year. No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us, every day, but especially on her special day.
‘We continue to celebrate her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her.’
