Germany Maddie case: New search operation launched in Portugal
A good 18 years after the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in southern Portugal, a new search operation has been launched at the alleged crime scene. The search began on Monday and was requested by the German authorities, according to the Portuguese criminal investigation department. The operation in the Lagos district in the south of the country will continue until Friday.
02.06.2025, 17:58
02.06.2025, 21:12
SDA
The Portuguese TV stations CNN Portugal and SIC Noticias, among others, had previously reported on the new search, citing investigative circles. There had only been talk of starting the operation on Tuesday. The "Policia Judiciaria" has now corrected this information.
In response to an inquiry, the public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig stated that "criminal proceedings are currently taking place in Portugal" as part of the investigation into the Maddie case. "The measures are being implemented by way of mutual legal assistance by the Portuguese law enforcement authorities with the support of officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office." Further information on the background would not be released at this time.
Report: German suspect's house to be searched
The Sun quoted a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police (MPS) in the UK as saying that they were aware of the searches carried out by the BKA (Federal Police) in Portugal as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. However, the MPS is "not present during the search, we will support our international colleagues if necessary".
According to CNN Portugal, the new search will also include a search of a house where the German suspect, Christian B., a sex offender with several previous convictions, is said to have lived in Portugal in the early 2000s.
48-year-old is in custody in Germany
Madeleine disappeared without a trace from a vacation resort in the small and tranquil Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in Lagos on May 3, 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday. Investigators suspect that she was abducted and murdered. However, no body was ever found. The last known major search operation in this case took place around two years ago, at the end of May 2023. Like previous searches, it ended inconclusively.
48-year-old Christian B. is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a then 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz - the place where Madeleine disappeared. So far, however, no charges have been brought against him in the Madeleine McCann case and the presumption of innocence applies.
As things stand, Christian B. will be a free man by the beginning of 2026 at the latest. He was acquitted in October in a trial involving three rapes and two cases of child sexual abuse. However, the verdict is not yet final.
