Madeleine McCann Footage shows holes in the ground in Portugal as search ends
A British couple claimed they found a makeshift shrine to missing Madeleine McCann at the Portuguese reservoir searched by police last week.
The couple, named only as Ralf and Ann, told the Mail on Sunday they found the “strange” shrine seven months after the toddler vanished 16 years ago.
The couple said they reported the shrine to Portuguese police but never heard back.
The shrine consisted of a row of stones pointing to a picnic site which was dug up by police last week, a bouquet of white lilies and a photograph of the missing toddler.
The retired couple, who regularly visit their holiday home near the Algarve reservoir, later reported the shrine to police after suspect Christian Brueckner was identified by German police in 2020, and gave a formal statement.
Ralf, 66, described the shrine as “very strange”.
Ann, 67, said: “Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps because when we saw where the police were searching the past few days you could see that’s where the row of stones was pointing to.”
Officers concluded their search of the Algarve reservoir on Thursday.
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
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:
Maroosha Muzaffar29 May 2023 05:00
‘The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t’
A suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has claimed he “didn’t” abduct and murder the girl, MailOnline has reported.
In a series of letters, Christian Brueckner – a convicted German rapist – is reportedly saying “I am not a monster” and claiming that he had nothing to do with the abduction or murder of then three-year-old Madeleine McCann.
“The world believes I killed Maddie, I didn’t”, he wrote in the neatly written letters, according to MailOnline.
Maroosha Muzaffar29 May 2023 04:51
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann in an area close to the desolate reservoir in Portugal searched by police earlier this week.
The couple say they didn’t think anything else of the “weird” incident until three years ago when Christian Brueckner was first identified by German authorities. He was named by Portuguese authorities as a formal suspect in 2022.
Ralf told the Mail on Sunday: “I immediately contacted the BKA in Germany and told them what we had and I had a reply back within a few hours.”
Maroosha Muzaffar29 May 2023 04:00
How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?
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.
Joe Middleton28 May 2023 23:59
British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police
A British couple claim to have found a ‘shrine’ to missing Madeleine McCann in an area close to the desolate reservoir in Portugal searched by police earlier this week.
The retired pair say they discovered a makeshift memorial, consisting of a photograph of the missing toddler surrounded by flowers and stones, at Christmas in 2007. The three year-old had vanished from a holiday resort in Portugal in May that year.
The husband and wife, named only as Ralf and Ann, say they took photographs of it and sent them to Portuguese detectives but never heard anything back. Just days later, the ‘shrine’ had disappeared, they claim.
Joe Middleton28 May 2023 23:45
ICYMI: Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir
Madeleine McCann: Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used to scour reservoir
Joe Middleton28 May 2023 22:45
Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance
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, writes Joe Sommerlad.
Joe Middleton28 May 2023 21:44
Full story: What we know about the Barragem do Arade reservoir
The dam that was searched is situated approximately 31 miles northeast of the coastal resort from which Madeleine disappeared.
It was constructed in 1955 and is fed by the 35-mile-long Arade river.
Its waters were previously searched in 2008 by specialist divers paid for by Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, who claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that the girl’s body was in the waterway.
Sam Rkaina28 May 2023 20:00
Why were police searching the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal?
Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of British citizen Madeleine McCann 16 years ago ended a three-day search of the Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve on Thursday.
The reservoir is known to have been frequented by the latest suspect in the case Christian Brueckner.
According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, the suspect considered the area his “little slice of paradise”.
A brief statement from the office of German prosecutor Christian Wolters confirmed the search, saying investigators were acting in response to “certain tips”.
He later confirmed investigators were looking for a body, but also for anything that could help the investigation, such as clothing.
A Daily Mail report suggested police are seeking traces of the pink pyjamas Madeleine was wearing on the day of her disappearance.
Mr Wolters said he did not expect the results of the studies of the collected samples to be announced any time soon.
The reservoir’s waters were previously searched in 2008 by specialist divers paid for by Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, who claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that the girl’s body was in the waterway.
The dam searched by police is situated approximately 31 miles northeast of the coastal resort from which Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
Martha Mchardy28 May 2023 17:00
ICYMI: Police give update as they end search of Portugal reservoir
A three-day search of the Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve came to an end on Thursday, as police issued an update.
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.
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.”
Martha Mchardy28 May 2023 16:00