A new documentary centering on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has shown some never-before-seen images of recent evidence.
Madeleine went missing in 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal, and German authorities have now presumed her dead.
The then-three-year-old was in a bedroom in the family's rental apartment as her parents dined with friends at the same resort.
After discovering their daughter was missing, an international search was called, but sadly, the toddler was never found.
Now, a new documentary has reignited intrigue in the case, as new reported evidence has come to light.
The documentary revealed previously unseen images and shocking evidence found at a property linked to the case’s main suspect, Christian Brueckner.
As reported by The Sun, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters spoke out on Aussie television to reiterate what his office has long maintained: “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.”
That suspect is 47-year-old Brueckner, who is currently serving a prison sentence for the sexual assault of an American woman and is scheduled for release later this year.
He has denied all allegations linking him to Madeleine’s disappearance and has not been formally charged.
The recent Channel 4 and The Sun documentary Madeleine McCann: The Unseen Evidence sheds disturbing new light on why investigators are so confident in Brueckner’s connection to the case.
The program featured previously unreleased photos and reports on six new pieces of evidence that could be pivotal.
The investigation centers around an abandoned factory Brueckner bought in 2008 in Neuwegersleben, Germany.
In 2016, a dog ran onto the property and began digging at what looked like a grave. Police uncovered Brueckner’s dead dog — but beneath it, they discovered a wallet containing six USB sticks and two memory cards.
That discovery triggered a full-scale search involving 100 officers, which uncovered a deeply disturbing array of items:
- Children’s clothes, toys, and bikes
- More than 75 children’s swimming costumes — despite Brueckner having no children
- Unlicensed guns and ammunition
- Masks and chemicals
- A suitcase full of images of young girls
- Photos of girls aged four and five
- A list of phone numbers and an address book
Investigators also found a hard drive hidden in a laptop, which reportedly contained photos they believe prove “Maddie was killed shortly after she vanished,” according to The Mirror.
Specifics from the hard drive were not released in the documentary, but German authorities say the contents speak volumes.
Among the most damning findings were handwritten accounts by Brueckner, describing his fantasies of kidnapping women and children. While many of the stories were too graphic to air, one detailed the abduction of a mother and daughter.
Other stories described how he drugged a mother and daughter outside a preschool, and abused a four-year-old blonde girl.
In Skype chats with other paedophiles, he expressed a desire to “capture something small and use it for days.”
As investigators noted: “In his stories found on the hard drive, Brueckner fantasised about using ether to kidnap victims.”
A car matching the description of Brueckner’s was also found at the property. Inside, officers discovered bottles of unknown substances, which were destroyed without testing. Based on his writings, police suspect the bottles contained chloroform or ether.
Another alarming detail was Brueckner’s link to the Arade Dam, a site roughly 35 miles from where Madeleine vanished.
Photos recovered from the hard drive show him posing naked and wearing a mask at the dam — masks nearly identical to those found in his factory.
A satnav device confirmed he returned to the area multiple times in the years after Madeleine went missing.
One more key piece of evidence: an insurance document placing Brueckner at a festival in Orgiva, Spain, in April 2008.
According to a witness named Helge B, Brueckner confessed at that festival, chillingly stating that Madeleine “didn’t scream.”
Though the credibility of the confession has been debated, the insurance record confirms his presence at the scene, lending new weight to the timeline.
Despite the mountain of evidence now associated with Brueckner, he has never been formally charged in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance and continues to deny all allegations.
His criminal history, however, continues to add context to the case:
- In 2016, he was convicted of abusing a five-year-old girl.
- In 2017, Helge B. tipped off police after watching a documentary about Madeleine’s case.
- In 2019, he was convicted of raping a U.S. woman in Praia da Luz—the same area where Madeleine disappeared.
- In 2020, German prosecutors named him as the prime suspect and stated publicly that they believed Madeleine was dead.