Portuguese police have said they will continue their inquiry into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance despite Scotland Yard ‘winding up’ their probe later this year.
The Portuguese Attorney General’s Office has insisted authorities will keep their investigation going to find the missing youngster and said their separate inquest – which is being led by prosecutors on the Algarve – will ‘continue’.
Authorities also added that closing their long-running probe was ‘completely out of the question’, reports The Mirror.
Last month it was reported that the Metropolitan Police will be ending their inquiry into Madeleine’s whereabouts.
Funding for the Operation Grange inquiry – launched four years after Portuguese authorities began their unsuccessful search for the youngster in 2007 – will end this autumn unless new lines of inquiry emerge.
British detectives say they are frustrated at the inability to gather enough evidence to bring Christian Brueckner to justice, a convicted paedophile who was identified by German police two years ago as the main suspect in Madeleine’s kidnapping.
He denies any involvement in the disappearance the the youngster, who was last seen in Praia da Luz in Praia da Luz in the Algarve.
Operation Grange, overseen by the Metropolitan Police, is estimated to have cost £13 million
The Portuguese Attorney General’s Office has insisted authorities will keep their investigation going to find the missing youngster and said their separate inquest – which is being led by prosecutors on the Algarve – will ‘continue’ Police also added that closing their long-running probe is ‘completely out of the question’, reports The Mirror
In recent years, the Operation Grange staff has been reduced from 40 to four officers. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell now oversees only four detectives. The team also communicates with Madeleine’s parents of Rothley in Leicsestershire.
The Sun reports that Madeleine’s parents Gerry (54) and Kate (54), are both aware of the closure. However, they pledge to carry on their searches.
Brueckner was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a woman aged 72.
Operation Grange has seen a reduction in its size from 40 officers to only four detectives under the supervision of Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell.
Madeleine’s parents are from Rothley in Leicsestershire.
After revealing a new suspect in their investigation, British and German police launched a fresh appeal to witnesses. The victim was revealed later as Brueckner.
German prosecutors are still convinced that he is to blame for the kidnapping, however they have failed to press charges after an intense investigation.
According to detectives, they are frustrated at the inability to collect enough evidence to charge Christian Brueckner (pictured), a convicted Paedophile. He was first named by German police on 2 years ago as the primary suspect in Madeleine’s kidnapping.
Brueckner, who is also accused of having abducted Madeleine, to a friend, was said to have confessed to it. The German team, headed by Hans Christian Wolters the public prosecutor, stated that they believed Brueckner had murdered the three-year old.
His arrest for her disappearance is highly unlikely.
Wolters even held a press conference, where he spoke to Madeleine’s parents Kate & Gerry via the air.
He insisted: ‘We are confident we have the man who took and killed your daughter. It is all I can ask you for patience.
However, claims that Madeleine had received multiple letters from German detectives were quickly discredited.
The Met released an explicit statement correcting all the claims about the correspondence.
Gerry McCann (pictured), Kate, and Gerry McCann stated in May that Madeleine may still be alive. The statement from May last year stated that the Covid pandemic had made it more difficult this year for many reasons, but that Madeleine’s abduction and search has been continuing.
Last year, it stated that the Met had received one letter in response to the BKA. [Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany]The family received the certificate on June 12th.
Although the letter does not indicate that Madeleine has died, it did state that Madeleine had evidence. However, Madeleine remains under investigation by the MPS as part of a missing person probe. The Met has not received any letter from the German prosecutor.
Actually, Kate and Gerry stated that they believed Kate could still be alive in May of last year.
The statement said that the Covid pandemic had made it more difficult this year for many reasons, but that Madeleine has been rescued and the investigation into her disappearance has not stopped.
“We keep holding on to the hope of seeing Madeleine again. Our sweet daughter has been missing for a long time and we want to be able to tell her what’s happened. Thank you to all of the officers for your continued efforts.
Brueckner is currently serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking and is expected to remain behind bars until 2026 after losing a bid to overturn a rape conviction.
Last year, he was found guilty in 2005 of the rape and murder of a 72-year old American woman at the same Portuguese resort where Madeleine disappeared. He was sentenced to seven-years in prison by a Brunswick court, Lower Saxony.
Brueckner, who was at Praia Da Luz on Madeleine’s disappearance night on May 3, 2007, was notified via mobile phone. Madeleine, then three years old, disappeared from the apartment she was living in (above), with her family.
Brueckner, who was at Praia Da Luz on May 3rd 2007, when Madeleine disappeared, was located there via a mobile call.
Madeleine, then three years old, disappeared from the apartment she was living in with her family.
Kate and Gerry were dining out with close friends and checking on Madeleine, Sean, and Amelie as they slept.
Gerry checked on the children around 9:15pm and discovered that they were asleep. Family friend visited the apartment at 9.30pm. They heard no sound but couldn’t see Madeleine.
Kate checked on Maddie at 10:10pm and discovered that she was not there.
The disappearance was reported immediately and a search party launched the same evening including officers from the Guarda Nacional Republicana and the Polícia Judiciária, which launched an investigation.
Amaral was appointed to direct the investigation. She supervised it over several months, famously naming Kate and Gerry both suspects.
After launching an attack against British detectives, he got fired.
In a documentary called “The Truth of the Liar”, in which he made the same claims about the McCanns, he published a book.
The family won a libel suit against him in 2015, and were awarded £500,000 in damages.