Investigators in the Madeleine McCann case say they are "100% convinced" they know who the suspect is and what happened to the girl.
McCann vanished at the age of three on May 3, 2007, from her vacation apartment at a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents were at a nearby restaurant with friends.
Her disappearance prompted a widespread search, and an international investigation from Portuguese, British, and German police forces.
German prosecutors have revealed they have enough evidence to bring a charge against the suspect, however are waiting to "strengthen their position" first, per The Mirror.
Prime suspect Christian Brueckner, 44, is currently serving a prison sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman back in 2004.
He has been linked to the murder of German schoolgirl Peggy Knobloch, who disappeared on her way home from school in 2001.
Despite Brueckner "bragging how the police don’t have a shred of evidence", investigators claimed they are "100% sure" that he murdered McCann, The Mirror reports.
Per Independent, Brueckner was living in a camper van near Praia da Luz in Portugal at the time of McCann’s disappearance, with phone records allegedly showing that he received a call near McCann's holiday apartment about an hour before the 3-year-old disappeared.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who admitted the evidence they have is circumstantial, said: "We're confident that we have the man who took and killed her. It is possible that we could charge. We have that evidence now.
"But it's not about charging him - we want to charge him with the best body of evidence possible."
Wolters added it would be "nonsense" to charge him at present, "rather than wait for answers that could strengthen [their] position".
He also noted that they have "time on our hands" due to Brueckner being in prison for other crimes.
The alleged murder has not been backed up by any DNA or photographic evidence linked to the sex offender, but Wolters told McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry: "We are confident we have the man who took and killed your daughter."
Back in June, Wolters said the case is progressing well after his team uncovered new evidence further implicating the prime suspect.
Speaking at a press conference on June 6, Wolters told reporters:
"We hope we can solve the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, although this will take several months. We are pleased with the response to our appeal for witnesses.
"But unfortunately not all our questions have been answered [...] When we have completed our investigations, we will inform the public about the result and then also about further details."
