Fifteen years after the disappearance of their daughter, Kate and Gerry McCann say they are surprised when they hear that they need to put an end to the absence of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal on May 3, 2007 at the age of 3. For them, it is “essential” to clarify what happened to the English girl.
On the eve of the 15th year of the disappearance, Kate and Gerry wrote in a Facebook post that this year “is not harder than others, but it’s not easier either.” “Many people speak of the need for a ‘closure’. That has always seemed a strange term. Regardless of the developments, Madeleine will always be our daughter, and a horrendous crime has been committed,” they wrote.
“It is true, however, that uncertainty brings weakness; knowledge and certainty bring strength, and for this reason our demand for answers, for truth, is essential.”
In April, Portuguese prosecutors formally named German Christian Brueckner as a suspect, although his name was not officially revealed. Madeleine’s parents expressed gratitude to the British, Portuguese and German authorities for their work, and to supporters for their “good wishes”.
“It’s a huge comfort to know that, despite the time passed, Madeleine is still in people’s hearts and minds. Thank you,” they said. They included a quote from Winnie the Pooh author, AA Milne, who says, “The most important thing is that even though we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.”
This Tuesday marks 15 years since Madeleine was reported missing, which means that, under Portuguese law, it will no longer be possible to declare someone as a “person of interest” (someone who may have some involvement in a case under investigation) , required for any criminal charges.
A Portuguese official previously said the decision to make Brueckner, 45, a suspect was not motivated by this timeline, but by “strong indications” of a crime. Brueckner is now serving time in Germany for drug offenses and was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman. The German vehemently denies involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
In the meantime, London’s Metropolitan Police say it remains “committed to doing what we can to find answers”. In 2013, the force launched its own investigation, Operation Grange. Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, who is leading the operation, said: “Fifteen years after Madeleine’s disappearance from Praia da Luz, our thoughts, as always, are with her family.”
“Officers continue to investigate the case, and our dedicated team is still working closely with colleagues from the Portuguese Judiciary Police as well as the German Bundeskriminalamt.
“At this time, the case remains a missing person investigation.”
Madeleine McCann case: a timeline
- May 3, 2007: The alarm is raised for the disappearance of Madeleine in a tourist complex in Portugal
- September 2007: Kate and Gerry McCann formally become suspects in the disappearance of their daughter
- July 2008: Portuguese police suspend their investigation and withdraw suspicion from the McCann couple
- July, 2013: London Metropolitan Police say they have “new evidence and new witnesses” for the case and open an official investigation
- October 2013: Detectives in Portugal reopen investigation, citing “new lines of investigation”
- March 2019: The streaming platform Netflix releases an eight-part documentary on the Madeleine case; her parents, who did not participate in the production, expressed concern that the film could get in the way of investigations.
- June 2020: Police reveal that a German prisoner, later identified as Christian Brueckner, was declared a suspect in the child’s disappearance
- April 2022: Christian Brueckner is officially declared a suspect in the case​
