Madeleine McCann Abduction Suspect's Ex Girlfriend Adds More Weight to Guilt

As authorities continue to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the prime suspect in the case has been painted with more guilt. McCann was just 3 years old when she disappeared from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal where her parents, Kate and Gerry, stayed in 2007, and according to Nakscije Miftar, the former girlfriend of Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect, he previously admitted to being close to the apartment on the night of the toddler's disappearance.

More than a decade after the toddler's disappearance captured headlines across the globe, Miftar spoke exclusively to The Mail on Sunday about Brueckner, who currently sits behind bars for drug offenses and other charges connected to the rape of a 72-year-old woman. Miftar recalled the strange way Brueckner reacted when the topic of McCann's disappearance arose during a party in 2014. Miftar recalled how Brueckner "made no answer to the question. After they went, I asked about Maddie as I did not know anything about her." According to Miftar, Brueckner told her, "'I know about Maddie, I was near the hotel at the time. I was living in the area at the time. I am not going to say anything more. I am not a stupid guy, I am a businessman.'"

Miftar painted a violent image of Brueckner, whom she first met in 2013 when she was just 17. About a year into their relationship, Miftar said she discovered child pornography on Brueckner's mobile phone and laptop. She said he attacked her when she confronted him about the content. Miftar revealed, "I asked him about the videos and pictures and that's when he punched me. I fell down the stairs and was unconscious for about ten minutes." The assault was reported to authorities, who raided Brueckner's flat and discovered 391 child pornographic photographs and 68 videos on his electronic devices. While Brueckner fled to Portugal, he was eventually captured and returned to Germany, where he was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

As Miftar was serving the prison term, German police announced in June 2020 that he was a prime suspect in McCann's disappearance. In a statement, authorities said, "we have gathered new evidence that adds further to the case we are building against our main suspect. We are still building the case and at some time in the future, we shall share the details with the suspect and his lawyer — but now is not the time. I cannot disclose the type of evidence we have been given, it is not forensic I can tell you that but it is new circumstantial evidence which all adds to the working theory that he is the man responsible."