German suspect in Madeleine McCann case released from prison as investigation continues
The man linked to the 2007 disappearance was freed from Sehnde prison after serving time for an unrelated crime; investigators have not halted the McCann inquiry, which saw renewed activity in 2025.
A German inmate identified by media as Christian Brückner, long named as a formal suspect by Portuguese authorities in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, was released from a prison in Sehnde, Germany, on Sept. 17, 2025, after serving his sentence in an unrelated case. The development leaves investigators continuing to pursue leads in a case that has attracted global attention for nearly two decades.
Brückner’s status has been complex. In 2022 Portuguese authorities named him as a formal suspect in the McCann case, and in October 2024 a Braunschweig state court acquitted him on charges unrelated to the McCann investigation. He remains in prison because he is serving a seven-year sentence stemming from a 2019 rape conviction in Portugal. The release marks a notable shift in the case’s public timeline, even as prosecutors emphasize that the McCann investigation remains active and open.
The disappearance of Madeleine McCann occurred on May 3, 2007, when the three-year-old was reported missing from a vacation apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve region of Portugal. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had left her asleep with two younger siblings while they dined nearby, and they have consistently maintained that she was abducted. The initial investigation quickly expanded into an international effort as suspicions and rumors spread worldwide. In the months that followed, police in Portugal and other countries investigated numerous leads and sightings.
Over the years, the case produced a long sequence of investigative milestones and media coverage. In August 2007, searches broadened to include Belgium after a reported sighting; in 2013 Britain’s police launched Operation Grange to review the case, identifying dozens of people of interest, including some Britons. The Portuguese case was briefly reopened in 2013 amid new evidence, and in 2014 and 2015 investigators conducted searches in scrubland near the disappearance site. The McCanns pursued libel actions against critics, and in 2013 Portuguese authorities reopened the case after a period of inactivity.
The most recent phase of the investigation accelerated in 2020 when German authorities publicly identified a suspect and indicated the case would be pursued with renewed vigor. In 2022 Portuguese authorities named Brückner as a formal suspect in the McCann case; in 2024 a German court acquitted him on McCann-related charges, though he remained incarcerated on a separate Portuguese conviction. In June 2025, investigators in Portugal launched a new round of searches for clues around a dam area roughly 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz, while authorities in Germany prepared for further steps in the McCann inquiry. The case has remained unresolved, and the McCanns have continued to advocate for renewed international scrutiny and ongoing search efforts.