THE last-ditch search for Madeleine McCann’s body is set to be called off today if nothing of interest is unearthed.
Cops had been granted until Friday to comb prime suspect Christian Brueckner’s “rat-run” near Praia da Luz, but will likely walk away this evening after three days of digging.
The search was scheduled to last three days from Tuesday with an option to extend if anything of interest was unearthed.
But a source close to the investigation told The Sun on Thursday morning: “There are currently no plans to extend and if the situation remains the same the search will end this evening.
“It’s very disappointing but nothing taken away from the search area so far has provided any clues.”
Investigators are in a race against time to turn up evidence pinning Maddie’s case to Brueckner – who they are convinced killed the tot.
They scrapped plans to scour the wider area last night – and have focused their efforts on the abandoned buildings linked to the convicted rapist.
On Wednesday, police said they were scouring at least five crumbling structures.
Cops arrived armed with a radar scanner which can penetrate 15ft into the ground, hoping to find evidence of her body or any other clues.
On Wednesday a large yellow JCB-type digger rolled up to excavate the bush land, zeroing-in on the collection of barns.
There are three sites with abandoned structures within the 21-square-kilometre search area – including a farmhouse, barns and a disused well.
The Sun team on the ground saw the excavator pulling back earth and saw rubble that had been thrown out of the building, leaving a clear floor ready for the ground radar.
Searchers were previously seen scouring the dilapidated farmhouse and draining a well inside.
It comes after we revealed key figures in the case were flown back to Germany to give further statements on the claims Brueckner kidnapped and killed the toddler in 2007.
At least two of these former Brueckner associates have since been relocated and given new mobile phones.
The ongoing searches are understood to be linked to the secret meetings, which took place at the start of the year.
What appear to be boxes of soil and debris were being removed from the hillside on Tuesday as cops used chainsaws to cut through roots and undergrowth to access the soil.
Prolific thief Brueckner used the bushy area near his cottage back in 2007 as a rat run.
A police theory is the three-year-old or her pyjamas might have been dumped in trenches near the holiday resort that were dug as part of extensive works at the time.
Brueckner is set for release from jail in September after serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a 2005 Praia da Luz rape.
He has never been formally charged over Madeleine’s disappearance and denies any involvement.
If released, he is expected to flee Germany for a country without an extradition treaty – so even if evidence linking him to Maddie emerges in the future, it may be impossible to bring him to justice.
Follow our live blog, below, for the latest news and updates…
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Teams arrive for day three – pictured
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CONFIRMED: Search set to end today
Sources have confirmed that the search is set to be called off later today if no clues are found.
The search was scheduled to last three days from Tuesday with an option to extend if anything of interest was unearthed.
But a source close to the investigation told The Sun this morning: “There are currently no plans to extend and if the situation remains the same the search will end this evening.
“It’s very disappointing but nothing taken away from the search area so far has provided any clues.”
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Search could end TODAY – reports
The search could be called off today if nothing of significance is found, according to reports.
Investigators began scouring the area on Tuesday and have been granted until Friday – but could ditch it after three days if they don’t find anything.
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Who is involved in the search?
The probe this week is the first physical search for evidence in Madeleine’s case since May 2023.
Two years ago, Portuguese police searched for three days around the Arada dam.
There is a concurrent investigation by Scotland Yard detectives in the UK – which the UK government handed another £100,000 in April this year.
The fresh search, which began on Tuesday this week, is being led by German police – who have said they are convinced that Christian Brueckner killed Maddie.
The Metropolitan Police are aware of the search but are not involved.
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‘Cops are searching the wrong area’ says Christian B acquaintance
A man who knew prime suspect Christian B has insisted that police are searching the wrong area for Madeleine’s body.
Ken Ralphs claims he was introduced to the suspect by his “accomplice”.
Ralphs told GB News the accomplice had “started to cry” one night and confessed “he was going to get involved with Christian to take a child in Praia de Luz”.
He then claimed there was a “property and a house” where Brueckner stayed – and that was the last place he occupied before returning to Germany.
Ralphs said: “That’s where they need to be searching. For over 18 years, I’ve pressed the police.”
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Mystery hard drive of pics found at Maddie suspect Christian B’s lair
Bombshell evidence found at the lair of Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner was revealed for the first time in May after a Sun investigation.
The disturbing evidence showed Brueckner’s obsession with young kids.
Children’s clothes and toys were found at the paedophile rapist’s abandoned lair, plus masks, chemicals and guns.
There was also a hard-drive of pictures, which German investigators continue to keep secret, that is believed to indicate why they are sure Madeleine is dead.
Much of the newly uncovered evidence was found by chance at a disused factory Brueckner bought for £20,000 in 2008, a year after Madeleine vanished.
In 2016 a dog ran on to the property and appeared to find a grave.
Local cops then discovered Brueckner’s dead dog – but underneath was a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards.
They contained highly disturbing material — and 100 cops launched a full search of the compound in Neuwegersleben, central Germany.
They found stories by Brueckner showing his obsession with snatching children.
Read the full story here.
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Madeleine McCann’s parents remain silent during latest search effort
Kate and Gerry McCann will not be making any public comments while the latest search for their missing daughter is underway, it has been confirmed.
Staff at the Find Madeleine Campaign said the couple would not speak during the “active police investigation” currently taking place in Portugal, The Express reported.
The McCanns have remained largely private in recent years, only occasionally issuing brief statements on key anniversaries or legal developments in the case.
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Could ground-penetrating radar help find Madeleine?
As the latest search for Madeleine McCann enters a crucial phase, police appear to be using ground-penetrating radar in a fresh attempt to uncover long-buried clues.
The operation, spanning 120 acres of scrubland and abandoned buildings near Praia da Luz, has seen officers clearing vegetation, wearing protective gear, and using a digger to shift rubble — all in a bid to access hidden terrain.
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sends electromagnetic pulses into the ground, detecting changes in material and potential buried objects without the need for large-scale excavation.
It’s a method often used to locate graves and burial sites.
While previous searches have turned up no evidence, hopes remain that the advanced technology could help detectives locate something vital in the hunt for answers — 18 years after Madeleine disappeared.
With just two days left in the current operation, Portuguese police remain tight-lipped, offering conflicting signals about how successful the search has been so far.
Search teams use ground penetrating radar next to a derelict and abandoned property close to Praia De Luz, PortugalCredit: PA -
Why is there a new search in the Madeleine McCann case?
The latest search in the Madeleine McCann investigation has been launched at the request of German federal police, who are racing to uncover fresh evidence against prime suspect Christian Brueckner.
Brueckner is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz — the same area where Madeleine vanished two years later.
He is due to be released from jail in September unless prosecutors bring new charges. Earlier this year, he also applied for early release.
The renewed search effort comes after Brueckner was cleared in October 2023 of unrelated sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
Despite being named a formal suspect in the McCann case, he has never been charged and denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
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Search to cost £300,000 as officers use high-tech tools
The latest operation to find clues in the Madeleine McCann case is expected to cost at least £300,000, with more than 60 officers involved in the high-tech search, The Times reports.
Drones, an excavator, and ground-penetrating radar have been deployed across 120 acres of scrubland and abandoned farmhouses near Praia da Luz, Portugal.
The site is less than a mile from a farmhouse once occupied by Christian Brueckner, the convicted rapist and prime suspect in the case, who is due for release from a German prison in September.
The operation — requested by German authorities — is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, unless any significant items are found.
Despite the massive scale and cost of the search, Portuguese police have reportedly not been given specific intelligence linking the site to Brueckner or Madeleine.
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‘Angry’ suspect at centre of new Madeleine McCann search
A former neighbour of Christian Brueckner – the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann – has described him as an “angry” young man who lived just a mile from the latest search site.
Ruth Maclean, a British expat who lived next door to Brueckner in Portugal at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance in 2007, told The Times: “He was my neighbour, he was German, young, quite angry. I would hear him having arguments with his girlfriend.”
She added: “He raped a lady in the town. I heard about that afterwards, just a ghastly piece of work. But I didn’t know of him being a ghastly piece of work at the time.”
Maclean also criticised the renewed search effort, saying: “We are all so exhausted. It just goes on and on. It beggars belief.”
Speaking about the area now being searched, she said: “I know the properties [being searched] because I ride up there all the time with my horses.
“There may have been one or two wells in the old days… The fact they are going to dredge them seems absolutely ludicrous, but who knows.”
The high-tech search operation involves drones, excavators, and ground-penetrating radar — all focused on abandoned farmhouses and wells in the remote Atalaia area.
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Who is Christian Brueckner?
Christian Brueckner is the convicted sex offender at the centre of the renewed search for Madeleine McCann.
The 47-year-old is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the brutal 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz — the same resort where Madeleine vanished two years later.
He was arrested in Italy in 2018 and is due to be released from prison this September, unless new charges are brought against him.
While he has never been charged in connection with the McCann case and continues to deny any involvement, Portuguese authorities named him an arguido — or formal suspect — in 2022.
This status gives him specific legal rights, including the right to remain silent and have legal representation.
German police believe Brueckner may be linked to Madeleine’s disappearance and are now leading a renewed push for evidence before his possible release.
A handout picture taken in 2018 and released by Italian Carabinieri on June 5, 2020 showing Christian Brueckner -
Maddie search day 2: what happened?
Police in Portugal continued their intensive search for missing Madeleine McCann today, focusing efforts on scrubland and derelict buildings near Praia da Luz.
On day two of the operation, officers wearing hard hats and face masks were seen clearing thick vegetation around a cluster of run-down structures.
A digger was also used to move rubble as part of the painstaking search.
The team worked across fields and dense shrubland between a main road and the sea, not far from a vineyard.
The area is believed to be connected to Christian B — the prime suspect in the case — who is currently in prison for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in the same town.
The operation is being led by German federal police, who requested the renewed search in a last-ditch bid to find evidence before Christian B’s expected release from jail in September — unless further charges are brought against him.
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Search narrows to derelict buildings in shock U-turn
In a major twist in the search for Madeleine McCann, police have ditched plans to scour wider areas — instead focusing their efforts on a group of abandoned buildings in Portugal.
The dramatic shift comes as officers ramp up their “now or never” operation in scrubland near Praia da Luz, where Maddie vanished in 2007 aged three.
Radar scanners and a JCB digger have already been deployed at the scene, and derelict barns linked to prime suspect Christian Brueckner are now at the centre of the probe.
The new focus follows days of digging and scanning, with police now convinced that any remaining clues could be hidden within or beneath the crumbling structures.
Search teams have cleared rubble from inside the buildings to allow ground-penetrating radar to scan for possible evidence buried up to 15ft below the surface.
It marks the most significant development in the latest phase of the search — with time running out before Brueckner is due to be released from jail in September.
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Cops focusing on abandoned buildings
Police said initial plans to search wider areas were being dropped to focus on the abandoned buildings.
The crucial searches for traces of Madeleine McCann were launched after German cops secretly recalled all key witnesses on the case, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
Key figures in the case were flown back to Germany to give further at statements on the claims Christian Brueckner kidnapped and killed the toddler in 2007.
At least two of these former Brueckner associates have since been relocated and given new mobile phones.
The ongoing searches are understood to be linked to the secret meetings, which took place at the start of the year.
Prosecutors say they continue to take the testimony of their key witnesses seriously.
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Digger and radar scanner pictured at search scene
A JCB was pictured clearing fresh rubble from one derelict building before ground scanners began the grim task of searching the soul below for Maddie remains.
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Brief timeline of events following Madeleine’s disappearance
May 3, 2007: Madeleine McCann disappears from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history.
January 15, 2016: Neighbour reports a possible ‘grave’ at Brueckner’s abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search.
May 3, 2017: Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner.
June 4, 2020: German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead. German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner).
June 23, 2023: In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain.
February 16, 2024: Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges.
October 8, 2024: Brueckner was acquitted of all claims. Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending.
September 17, 2025: Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken. Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year – or over the McCann case
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Pictures: Abandoned building scoured today
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What was found at Brueckner’s lair?
A Sun investigation released last month uncovered a raft of evidence found at Christian Brueckner’s lair found by the German police in Neuwegersleben, central Germany.
Much of the newly uncovered evidence was found by chance at a disused factory Brueckner bought for £20,000 in 2008, a year after Madeleine vanished.
A range of disturbing items show Brueckner’s obsession with young kids.
Children’s clothes and toys were found at the paedophile rapist’s abandoned den, plus masks, chemicals and guns.
There was also a hard-drive of pictures, which German investigators continue to keep secret, that is believed to indicate why they are sure Madeleine is dead.
In 2016 a dog ran on to the property and appeared to find a grave.
Local cops then discovered Brueckner’s dead dog – but underneath was a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards.
They contained highly disturbing material — and 100 cops launched a full search of the compound.
Children’s toys and bikes were found at the suspect’s lairCredit: Dan Charity 
Hidden hard drive with photos taken in PortugalCredit: Dan Charity 
Cops found 75 children’s swimming costumes at childless Bruecknerâs bolthole in NeuwegerslebenCredit: Dan Charity -
Pictures: House where Christian Brueckner was reportedly staying in Monte Judeu, Portugal
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Brueckner brags that he ‘can’t wait to be freed’
In his first interview, convicted paedo Christian Brueckner, 48, told a German broadcaster he was fed-up of being in prison – just as the fresh search for Maddie’s body kicked off.
The rapist – who has refused to answer police questions over Maddie – whinged that staying tight lipped means he speaks less than ten words a day.
He even claimed he had forgotten how to use his facial expressions.
Brueckner told RTL he did not kill Maddie.
He also denied the 2005 rape he was convicted of in 2019 and which keeps him behind bars.
He said: “As I told you, of course, the fact that I have been in prison for many years for something that I cannot have committed and that therefore, through the participation of the media, half the world considers me a cruel rapist.”
Read the full story here.
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Portuguese cops ‘would love to be proved wrong’ in Maddie search
Portuguese cops have said they are just “complying” with decisions they haven’t taken and their German counterparts.
An anonymous Portuguese police source said at the beginning of the search: “We have low expectations about these searches but we’ve got our orders and we’re not going to stand in the way.
“The information that’s being put out in the public arena is that they’ll last five days with the preparation work and clean-up afterwards and we’ve been told to expect three days of full work on the ground.
“But on the Portuguese side at least there’s wishful thinking this could all be done in one day.
“We would love to be proved wrong and see a significant discovery because it’s what we’ve all been working towards for so many years.
“But the area that’s going to be turned upside down this week has already been searched by Portuguese officers.”
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Cops to continue search ‘until Friday’
Cops are aiming to continue their search on “multiple areas a day” until at least Friday.
The crucial searches for traces of Madeleine McCann were launched after German cops secretly recalled all key witnesses on the case, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
Key figures in the case were flown back to Germany to give further at statements on the claims Christian Brueckner kidnapped and killed the toddler in 2007.
At least two of these former Brueckner associates have since been relocated and given new mobile phones.
The ongoing searches are understood to be linked to the secret meetings, which took place at the start of the year.
Prosecutors say they continue to take the testimony of their key witnesses seriously.
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New search ‘largest since 2008‘
The latest search for missing British toddler Madeleine McCann is shaping up to be the most extensive operation in over 15 years, according to officials involved in the investigation.
Portugal’s Judicial Police confirmed they are acting under search warrants requested by German prosecutors in Braunschweig, who in 2022 formally named Christian Brueckner as an official suspect.
The convicted sex offender lived in the region at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.
A source close to the operation said the area under investigation spans several hectares, with officers using ground-penetrating radar to comb through the terrain.
Portuguese police are working under a European Investigation Order and are reportedly following directions from their German counterparts.
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Map: Three new sites being scoured for Maddie
