The man identified by German authorities as the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann is approaching the end of his current prison sentence, with prosecutors indicating no immediate plans to charge him in connection with the long-standing mystery.
Christian Brueckner is scheduled to complete a seven-year sentence this September for the 2005 rape of an elderly woman in Portugal’s Algarve region. The location of that crime is notably close to the resort of Praia da Luz, from which the three-year-old McCann vanished while on a family holiday in May 2007.
Despite being formally named a suspect in the McCann investigation in 2022, German officials have stated there are “no plans” to file charges against Brueckner at this time. Hans Christian Wolters, the Chief Public Prosecutor in Braunschweig, confirmed the status, noting his office is awaiting a ruling from a higher federal court on other related matters, a process expected to take several more months.
Complicating the timeline, it has been reported that Brueckner has applied for early release. A regional court has yet to make a decision or schedule a hearing on that request.
Prosecutors have previously cited a lack of forensic evidence directly linking Brueckner to McCann’s disappearance as a significant obstacle to prosecution. While a vehicle linked to Brueckner was reportedly seen in the area at the time, he has consistently denied any involvement.
Brueckner was recently acquitted on separate charges, including multiple counts of aggravated rape and sexual abuse of children, after a judge found the evidence insufficient.
The search for answers continues for Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, nearly two decades after their daughter vanished from her bed. The case, still classified as a missing person inquiry by London’s Metropolitan Police, has accumulated costs exceeding $17 million. British authorities were granted additional funding last year to continue the investigation.
The impending release of the chief suspect, absent new charges, marks another difficult turn in one of the most widely followed missing person cases in modern history.
