I’m sure most of you have heard of Madeleine Beth McCann. She was a three year old girl who disappeared on the third of May in 2007 while she was only nine days shy of turning four years old. Madeleine and her family were traveling from the United Kingdom to Praia da Luz, Lagos, Portugal alongside a group of family friends. The children of the group were in bed while the adults dined in a restaurant 55 metres away from their room. Throughout the dinner, the adults would check on their children, but at 10:00 PM, Kate, Madeleine’s mother, discovered that Madeleine had disappeared from her bed. Many theories were conjured up. Some stated that Madeleine had already been dead in the apartment when she had been discovered missing as a strategy for her parents to cover up the truth, while some pointed fingers at sex offenders. However, the only way to carry a valid accusation with supported evidence is to understand the little girl’s story completely.
Find below the timeline of Madeleine McCann’s story
May 3, 2007: Disappearance
Madeleine's bed in her family’s vacation ground-floor apartment was found to be empty at 10:00 PM while her parents were away in a restaurant with their friends. She had been previously left asleep with her twin sister and brother who were two at the time of her disappearance. Authorities were immediately brought into the scene which led to a worldwide search for the young girl. Border police, airport staff, and several volunteers contributed to finding the culprit and Madeleine.
May 4, 2007: Kate and Gerry McCann Have Spoken
The parents publicly announced their daughter’s disappearance and continued to plead emotionally for the safety of their toddler. Gerry described the feelings of angst and despair that latched onto him as he thought about his daughter’s disappearance. “Please,” he said, “if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister.”
May-July 2007: The Search for Madeleine McCann
In the following months, the police force in Portugal began their search for the disappeared girl. Even though several leads arose, no suspects were officially named.
Jane Tanner, a friend of Kate and Gerry who was also dining with the McCanns the night of Madeleine’s disappearance, claimed to have witnessed a suspicious man carrying a child while she was returning to the restaurant after checking on her own daughter at around 9:15 PM, 45 minutes prior to Kate’s visit.
British detectives became involved in the search and decided to investigate the apartment by utilizing luminol (a substance that glows following its interaction with blood). However, when they arrived, they saw that the apartment had already been cleaned and rented out to another party.
Though this first appeared to be a dead end, after exploring the apartment, they found traces of blood on the wall situated in Madeleine’s old bedroom. Although this lead was promising, DNA testing studied the blood and saw that it belonged to an unidentified man.
August 2007: Death?
Prosecutors and Police Publicly Acknowledges the Possibility of Madeleine McCann’s death.
September 2007: Suspicions Against Kate and Gerry McCann
Accusations from the police claimed that Kate and Gerry hid Madeleine’s body after she died in an accident during their dinner prior to her “disappearance.” Throughout the entire investigation, potential charges such as abduction, homicide, exposure, abandonment of child, and concealment of corpse were all introduced. Many of these theories led others to point fingers at the parents of Madeleine McCann.
May 3, 2008: One Year Anniversary of Madeleine McCann Disappearance
On the one year mark of Madeleine’s disappearance, her parents, Kate and Gerry, gave an unrehearsed speech at their local church. They spoke about their fear of losing the little girl forever and requested the entire congregation to “pray like mad” for the safe return of their daughter.
July 2008: Portuguese Authorities Ceases Investigation
After careful analysis, Kate and Gerry were cleared from any charges. Once that occurred, the Attorney General of Portugal ordered a halt to the investigation. Madeleine's case has been archived by the Attorney General’s Office due to an insufficient amount of evidence that claimed the crime to be committed by her parents (the arguidos).
Attorney General Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro stated that if significant new evidence comes to light, the investigation has a right to be reopened.
May 2011: Kate and Gerry’s Book Is Released
The pair released a book regarding their daughter and her disappearance.
Kate said, “The decision to publish this book has been very difficult, and taken with heavy hearts. My reason for writing it is simple: to give an account of the truth.”
Gerry hoped that their book would alert the police force to re-energize their search for his daughter. This mission also included rallying the public to join the Find Madeleine campaign again. He said, “It is simply not acceptable that the authorities have given up on Madeleine — especially when no comprehensive review of the case has been undertaken. Our daughter, and whoever took her, are out there. We need your help to find them."
October 2013: Case Is Reopened by Portuguese Police
New elements of evidence have been noted by the Attorney General of Portugal and justified for the continuation of investigation. Madeleine’s parents were said to have been “very pleased” by this decision.
June 2020: Suspect Is Named by German Authorities
Thirteen years after Madeleine’s disappearance, Christian Brueckner, a former rapist in his 40s, was deemed a suspect by German authorities. However, he denied any ties he had with the little girl’s disappearance. He was ultimately not charged due to a lack of evidence.
April 2022: Another Suspect Is Revealed by Portuguese Prosecutors
It was announced that there is now an official suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. The suspect was not revealed to the general public but was said to have been identified as a result of a request from the German and British Police. It is still unclear if the suspect was Brueckner or someone new.
June 2024: Emails Related to the Killing of Madeleine McCann Discovered by German Authorities
Authorities uncovered a Hotmail account belonging to Brueckner which was said to be directly related to Madeleine’s disappearance.
A detective with Germany’s Federal Crime Police, Titus Stampa, reported to the court authorities when he found a second email account Brueckner used to share photos and videos of child abuse. Stampa also found out that emails starting from January 2007 (close to Madeleine's disappearance) were deleted on that account.
September 2024: Christian Brueckner Confesses?
While Brueckner was in jail for his sex crimes, he allegedly revealed his offenses against Madeleine to his cellmate, Laurentiu Codin.
Brueckner had initially asked Laurentiu Codin if he was also in jail due to crimes committed against a child. According to The Sun, Brueckner’s conversation with Laurentiu Codin consisted of a very strange sentence. Brueckner had allegedly asked Codin if the DNA from a child can be taken from bones under the ground.
Laurentiu Codin told the court that Brueckner had told him he stole something from Portugal in an area of hotels where the rich people lived. He spoke about how Brueckner said he entered a window for money and gold, but instead of acquiring that, he came across a child whom he took with him.
Though I can’t fully grasp the full scope of the events that led towards Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, I like to believe Kate and Gerry to be innocent. I find it horrible how so many people make petty accusations even when they don't have the full story. I am not certain Kate and Gerry are without fault, and I can’t say for sure Brueckner is the official culprit of the case, but what I do know is that this poor girl needs to be found, whether dead or alive. No one should ever have to experience life without their child, sister, and friend.
I know that as a united community behind the Find Madeleine campaign, we will find her and justice will be returned to its rightful owner. I cannot begin to express the compassion I feel for those who knew and loved her. We need to make sure a definite answer is given to them.
Job 12:22 says, “He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light,” allowing us to realize that no matter how dark the tunnel surrounding Madeleine is, the more the future unfolds, the closer it will get to the light shining through and Madeleine being found. Let’s continue to show our support by making sure everyone and anyone knows about the story of Madeleine McCann.
Until the day justice is given to Madeleine McCann, we will say her name: Madeleine Beth McCann. We cannot let her story be forgotten.
Justice. For. Madeleine. Beth. McCann.
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