On June 4, 2020, in the German city of Braunschweig, state prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters gathered the press for a beautiful announcement. German authorities believed they had the answer to the question that some of the best investigative spirits in the world have been grappling with for 13 years: What happened to Madeleine McCann?
“From 48 hours” correspondent Peter Van Sant has been handling the case since 2007 and is looking into the investigation into the new suspect in “The Puzzle: Solving the Madeleine McCann Case” which airs on CBS on Saturday, February 27 at 10 / 9c.
More than a decade has passed since 3-year-old Madeleine went on vacation with her parents and younger brother and sister in the beach resort of Praia da Luz, Portugal, on the evening of May 3, 2007, without a trace. As the local police did not respond, Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, both British doctors, turned to the international press to enlist the help of the whole world to find their daughter. Hundreds of man-hours spent searching, millions spent on international investigations, endless worldwide media attention, thousands of false Madeleine “observations”, even a meeting with the pope, and more than 13 years of desperate hope have none viable clue.
How is it then that a modest small-town prosecutor in Germany can say with absolute conviction that ‘… in connection with the disappearance of 3-year-old British girl Madeleine Beth McCann … the Braunschweig prosecutor’s investigation into’ a 43-year-old German citizen on suspicion of murder. From this you can see that we accept that the girl is dead “? At Van Sant’s request why they were so sure of this horrible outcome, prosecutor Wolters replied: ‘We have strong evidence that Madeleine McCann is dead and that she is suspected by us “Christian B., was killed.”
Due to German law Wolters may not use Christian BruecknerHe gives his full name or comments on the evidence they have against him, but it is no secret that this career criminal and repeat sex offender is their main suspect in the kidnapping and possible murder of Madeleine McCann. In fact, he’s been on their radar for some time.
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Wolters says that in 2017, a decade after Madeleine disappeared, a person contacted the German police and gave them the name of the suspect. Wolters was adamant about the details, but according to news reports, Christian Brueckner allegedly made a drunken confession to a friend that he knew what happened to Madeleine McCann.
Germany’s highest police agency investigated and what they discovered was that Brueckner had a long and disturbing history of crime. “Christian B. is a … criminal who has committed many financially motivated crimes such as housebreaking or drug trafficking,” says Germany-based crime and intelligence analyst Mark Hofmann. “But he also has a darker side,” Hofmann adds.
Brueckner has a record of possession of child pornography and has twice been convicted of sexually abusing a child. Hofmann says: “He absolutely agrees with the profile of a person who can kidnap and / or kill a girl like Madeleine McCann.”
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In 2016, investigators conducted multiple searches in an abandoned factory deep in the forest of Saxony Anhalt, Germany that Brueckner once owned. “48 Hours” understands that these searches were part of a broad investigation into child pornography. Hofmann says they found USB chips containing photos and videos of child abuse under a dead dog. But what, if any, connection can they have to the Madeleine McCann case?
“He’s definitely a psychopath. And he’s definitely a full-time criminal. … But the question is … is he guilty in the Maddie McCann case?” Ask Hofmann.
Learn more about Brueckner’s bad background and the evidence that could put him near or at the crime scene in Portugal in a brand new episode of “48 Hours.” “The Puzzle: Solving the Madeleine McCann Case” airs on CBS on Saturday, February 27 at 10 / 9c.