Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are launching a major new search operation in Portugal today.
German investigators are set to search more than 20 plots of land east of Praia da Luz- near both the property once occupied by chief suspect Christian B. and the area where Madeleine vanished in 2007.
According to reports from Sky News, radar equipment capable of scanning underground terrain will be used during the operation.
Portuguese police have confirmed that the search is being conducted under a European Investigation Order issued by German authorities. The UK’s Metropolitan Police said they would not be present at the scene but would “support their international colleagues where required.”
Tents have already been set up by police in the Atalaia area near Praia da Luz ahead of Tuesday’s operation.
Disappearance that shook the world
Madeleine McCann was three years old when she disappeared while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz, in a case that became one of the most high-profile missing child investigations in the world.
She had been sleeping alongside her younger siblings in a holiday apartment when her mother Kate discovered she was missing. Her parents had been dining with friends nearby and were taking turns to check on the children every 30 minutes.
The last search linked to the case took place in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade dam, some 50 kilometres from Praia da Luz. That same site had previously been searched in 2008 after Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragão Correia funded a team of divers, acting on claims that Madeleine’s remains could be found there.
According to SIC Noticias, the Portuguese media partner of Sky News, today’s search is expected to focus on locating Madeleine’s remains or any physical evidence that might suggest she was once in the area.
Who is Christian B.?
The current suspect, Christian B., was seen in court alongside his lawyer in October 2024 during an unrelated trial in Braunschweig, Germany, where he faced charges of three rapes and two instances of child sexual abuse allegedly committed in Portugal between June 2007 and December 2000.
Christian B.- whose full name cannot be published under German law- is currently serving a prison sentence for the rape of an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
He has not been officially charged in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance and denies all involvement. In October, he was acquitted in a German trial involving other sexual offences, during which his alleged connection to the McCann case was also referenced.
A German prosecutor told Sky News in January that no charges against him were expected in the immediate future regarding Madeleine’s case.
The McCanns: “We will never stop looking”
Last month, Madeleine’s parents marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, pledging to continue the search for their daughter.
“She remains with us every day- whether close or far- and especially on her birthday,” they said in a statement issued shortly before what would have been her 22nd birthday.
“We continue to ‘celebrate’ her as the unique and beautiful person she is. We miss her.”
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