Madeleine McCann police leave empty-handed after three-day search
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have left empty-handed after a three-day search near where she went missing 18 years ago.
Officers from Portugal's Polícia Judiciária, under the direction of German authorities, scoured 120 acres of gorse scrubland east of Praia da Luz for any trace of the three-year-old's remains.
A team of 60 police officers, a JCB-style digger and ground penetrating radar (GPR) devices, all at an estimated cost of £300,000, were deployed in the hope of bringing closure to the infamous missing persons case.
By the time the detectives packed up their tents at 5pm on Thursday, the sum total of their findings were a handful of animal bones, decayed adult clothes and some soil.
And even then, The Telegraph was told that these samples would not be sent back to Germany for further examination.
'Not very well', said one police officer when asked how the search was going, hours before the digging stopped for the last time.
'We were criticised for not doing our job 20 years ago. Beyond that, I can't say anything', he told The Telegraph before walking back to his colleagues, shovel in hand.
The new search area encompassed 20 plots of private land in the small region of Atalaia and is dotted with derelict farmhouses, disused wells, and abandoned buildings.
It sits less than a mile away from the former home of Christian Brueckner, a convicted paedophile and the main suspect in Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007.
Brueckner has denied his involvement and so far has not faced any charges in connection with the McCann case.
Teams of officers used shovels and later diggers to excavate the ground floors of abandoned buildings and then scan the earth below with radar devices.
Some questioned whether this short-lived search was based on fresh intelligence unearthed by detectives or whether it was more random and speculative than that. The answer remains unclear.
It marks what could be the last roll of the dice in the detectives' bid to find answers and crucial evidence relating to Madeleine's disappearance.
Brueckner is due to walk out of Germany's Sehnde prison in three months time after serving seven-year-prison sentence for raping an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, only two years before Madeleine went missing.
Prosecutors view this window as the last possible opportunity to find the crucial bit of evidence needed to charge Brueckner before he absconds abroad and is likely never to be seen again.
He was first named as a suspect in the case in 2020, when prosecutors in Germany claimed to have compelling evidence linking him to Madeleine's abduction and murder.
However, the exact nature of that potentially damning evidence has never been divulged.
Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor leading the investigation, has repeatedly refused to disclose what has prompted the search.
In the search site, the roar of chainsaws and hedge trimmers filled the air as they started clearing the shrub from the ruins of abandoned villas in the 73F (23C) heat on Tuesday morning.
Their efforts were closely monitored by a throng of international journalists and press photographers with long lenses who clambered through the thorny undergrowth for a closer look.
Dirt tracks heading north were cordoned off with police tape to deter the hundreds of tourists walking along the coastal trail that runs parallel to the search sites.
Officers were sent in small teams of two or three to sift through the rubble and pack containers with soil to be taken away for further analysis.
However, the Telegraph were told the samples weren't going to be sent back to Germany in yet another blow to the police investigation.
At one property a team of half a dozen firefighters worked to dredge a disused well.
The following day, a JCB digger was deployed to excavate the ruins along with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) device, capable of mapping underground terrain to a depth of approximately 33ft (10 metres) and identifying anomalies.
Detectives hoped the GPR may locate the crucial piece of evidence needed to formally charge Breuckner without damaging it in the process.
Robert Green, a Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Kent, who led a programme for the Home Office setting out a national cold case strategy, explained its benefits.
He said: 'Ground penetrating radar has proven to be an invaluable asset in forensic investigations, especially in locating buried bodies or remains.
'Its significant advantages enable the investigators to scan the area and generate real-time feedback, producing detailed images of subsurface anomalies that could represent potential clues, such as disturbed soil or voids that may suggest the presence of a body.
'In this manner, GPR effectively serves as the investigators' eyes, unveiling hidden depths without causing disruption.'
However, the devices, also used in an earlier search in Praia Da Luz in 2014, do have their drawbacks.
It takes an expert eye to be able to analyse the mapping data and discern between a natural feature such as a tree root or a piece of bone.
The radar may also struggle to pick out particularly small pieces of evidence such as a tiny piece of fabric. Signals may return weakly due to highly conductive materials like clay.
But for the detectives, their hopes that the GPR would be their saviour in the search for crucial evidence appeared futile after three days.
On Thursday evening, the police officers and firefighters packed up their chainsaws and pickaxes at 5pm on Thursday and left the site after yet another fruitless search.
The international team of Portuguese and German officers were seen shaking hands and applauding one another.
One officer celebrated the end of the search by passing a crate of Augustiner, a German beer, to his colleagues.
Professor Green had recommended that the Portuguese have on board an anthropologist or archaeologist and questioned the heavy-handed tactic of using JCB diggers.
'The GPR will highlight the possibility of underground anomalies, and employing heavy excavation equipment may have proven counterproductive,' he said.
Approximately a mile away in the village of Sitio das Lajes on the outskirts of Lagos is Brueckner's old home, where he had lived intermittently since 1992.
When the Telegraph visited the rundown cottage, it was boarded up with three cameras set up over the entrance with no signs of life.
An algae-infested well filled with frogs sits a few yards away from the front door.
Teun Koke, a Dutch father on holiday with his wife and six-month-old child at an Airbnb rental next door, said: 'When you read those stories, you think about your own children, but it didn't put me off bringing my family here
'It was a long time ago.
'We hope they find something that will solve that case, of course, it's a terrible situation.'
But for now, the 18-year wait for answers goes on.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Padilla claims Noem clash wasn't planned stunt: ‘rhetoric compelled me'
California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla insisted Saturday that he didn't pre-plan his heckling of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles — claiming that the stunt that got him handcuffed was a spur of the moment attempt at congressional oversight. Padilla argued in an interview with MSNBC hosts Eugene Daniels and Jonathan Capehart that Noem's 'rhetoric compelled' him to approach her lectern at a press conference and interrupt. Padilla was removed from the June 12 event after he pushed against law enforcement officers who blocked him and shouted, 'I'm Senator Alex Padilla! I have questions for the secretary!' He appeared on MSNBC to respond to Vice President JD Vance, who last week referred to him as 'Jose' Padilla and accused him of 'pure political theater' in his protest of Trump administration immigration enforcement policies. 5 Sen. Alex Padilla was handcuffed June 12 after attempting to confront DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. AP 5 Padilla pushed back against law enforcement officers as he tried to reach Noem's lectern. AP The VP's office explained the first-name error by saying Vance 'must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.' 'He knows my name,' Padilla griped to MSNBC. 'Sadly, it's just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is.' 5 Noem was discussing an immigration crackdown and local protests against immigration officials. AP 5 Vice President JD Vance accused Padilla of staging 'political theater.' Getty Images Padilla claimed that he was merely attempting to exercise his congressional duties during his confrontation with Noem. 'Part of our job is oversight and accountability — exactly what this administration does not want, and so they will try to throw any hurdle, any roadblock, to keep us from our oversight and accountability role. That's all I was doing, right?' the Democrat said 'That press conference, as you know, I did not barge in. I was escorted in. I did not lunge at the secretary… I had the audacity of trying to ask a question,' he said. 5 Democrats have denounced Padilla's brief detention. via REUTERS 'I heard there was this press conference, asked to join, they opened the door for me and I sat quietly on the side until the rhetoric compelled me to speak up — not just as a senator, but as an American,' Padilla added. 'Just the notion that they're suggesting that it's their job to liberate Los Angeles from our duly elected mayor and governor. It is too much.' The previously little-known senator was appointed to his position in 2021 by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) to fill the vacancy created by Kamala Harris becoming vice president. He was elected to a full six-year term in 2022.
Newsweek
12 hours ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom Challenges JD Vance: 'How About Saying It to My Face?'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday challenged Vice President JD Vance to a debate after the vice president visited Los Angeles and accused him of "egging on" violent disorder in the city. In a post on his X, formerly Twitter, account, the governor wrote: "...Since you're so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face?" Newsweek contacted Vance for comment on Saturday via email to the White House press office outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have expanded their operations in Los Angeles and across the country as President Donald Trump seeks to deliver on his campaign promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in United States history. ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles and faced large protests in the city that largely remained peaceful with some instances of violence that prompted Trump to order the deployment of 4,000 members of California's National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to assist in stopping violence, even as Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass insisted local law enforcement had the matter under control and a legal battle has pursued. The raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, but critics have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants by federal authorities as well as the tactics used by immigration agents during the raids. What To Know During his visit to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with troops, including Marines who have been deployed to protect federal buildings in the city, Vance said rioters had been "egged on" by Newsom and Bass, telling reporters: "The president has a very simple proposal to everybody in every city, every community, every town whether big or small. If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the national guard because it's unnecessary. He added: "But if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then of course we're going to send in federal law enforcement to protect the people the president was elected to protect." Vance also referred to Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was holding in Los Angeles earlier this month, as "Jose Padilla." Noem has said Padilla did not identify himself when he arrived at the conference, but Padilla disputes the claim. Responding on X, Newsom wrote: "Hey @JDVance — nice of you to finally make it out to California. Since you're so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face? Let's debate. Time and place?" In a separate X post, the governor shared a clip of Vance calling Padilla "Jose Padilla," adding: "JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident." California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26 in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance addresses the press following a tour of the multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center at the Wilshire Federal Building on June... California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26 in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance addresses the press following a tour of the multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center at the Wilshire Federal Building on June 20 in Los Angeles. More Frazer Harrison/WireImage/Scott Olson/GETTY What People Are Saying Referring to the Padilla incident, a Vance spokesperson previously told Newsweek that: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said: "Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our senator. You don't know his name," Bass questioned. "But yet you served with him before you were vice president and you continue to serve with him today, because the last time I checked, the vice president of the United States is the president of the U.S. Senate." She added: "You serve with him today and how dare you disrespect him and call him 'Jose.' But I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he's not just anybody to us. He is our senator." President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social last week: "I campaigned on, and received a Historic Mandate for, the largest Mass Deportation Program in American History. Polling shows overwhelming Public Support for getting the Illegals out, and that is exactly what we will do. As Commander-in-Chief, I will always protect and defend the Heroes of ICE and Border Patrol, whose work has already resulted in the Most Secure Border in American History. Anyone who assaults or attacks an ICE or Border Agent will do hard time in jail. Those who are here illegally should either self deport using the CBP Home App or, ICE will find you and remove you. Saving America is not negotiable!" What Happens Next? Vance has yet to respond to Newsom's offer of a debate and it remains to be seen if he will do so. In December 2023, Newsom debated against Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis after the two went back-and-forth on their policies. Meanwhile, a U.S. appeals court on Thursday unanimously blocked a lower court ruling that put Newsom back in control of National Guard troops that Trump deployed to Los Angeles. The appeals court ruled that the president can keep control of the guardsmen while legal proceedings in the case continue.
13 hours ago
Iran for the first time acknowledges detaining a German bicyclist as its war with Israel rages on
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran for the first time acknowledges detaining a German bicyclist as its war with Israel rages on.
