Portuguese Police Apologise to McCann Family for Handling of Madeleine's Disappearance
Portuguese police have issued an apology to the family of Madeleine McCann for their handling of the unsolved case, more than 16 years after the three-year-old's mysterious disappearance in 2007. Earlier this year, a delegation of senior Portuguese officers travelled to London to apologise to Gerry McCann, Madeleine’s father.
Madeleine went missing from a holiday complex in the Algarve in May 2007, sparking a missing person investigation. During questioning, her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were named as formal suspects, but their suspect status was lifted in 2008.
During the apology, Portuguese police reportedly admitted that the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance was mishandled, that insufficient importance was given to missing children at the time and that the family's status as foreigners in an unfamiliar environment was not properly appreciated. The McCann family has not commented on the apology.
New Suspects
German authorities have recently identified a new suspect in the case, a convicted sex offender who is currently serving a seven-year prison term in Germany for unrelated crimes. German prosecutors believe Brueckner may have kidnapped and murdered Madeleine, although no charges have currently been brought against him in connection to her disappearance.
The charges against Brueckner includes allegations of multiple rapes, sexual assault, and sexual assault of a child, all allegedly committed in the Portuguese Algarve. These charges are scheduled to go to trial in February 2024.
As the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance continues, her parents marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance on May 3, 2023, stating that Madeleine is "still very much missed" and that they "await a breakthrough" in this long-standing mystery.
