Madeleine McCann Disappearance Twist Related to Accused Prime Suspect Hits Snag

By Andrew Roberts

Police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance case have trumpeted their prime suspect for months, almost convinced they had the culprit and just needed evidence. Christian B currently sits behind bars for drug offenses and other charges connected to the rape of a 72-year-old woman, and he is the favorite of authorities still looking into the disappearance.

But now a TV documentary is poking holes in investigator's theories, putting forth that their suspect wasn't involved in the disappearance at all. Channel 5 in the UK will air the three-part docuseries that will allege a pair of Russians were behind the abduction of McCann from her family's apartment in Portugal in 2007.

Christian B has condemned claims by German investigators that he is the prime suspect in the young girl's disappearance. In a letter written to the German media, Christian B criticized the prosecution as "persecuting an innocent person."

Still, police contend that Christian B is their man and claim to have evidence to support the assertion. "We have gathered new evidence that adds further to the case we are building against our main suspect," the authorities said in a statement. "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."

Despite this evidence and the discovery of new leads in the Algarve region of Portugal related to Christian B, the new documentary is contending that he is not the person behind the crime. Phone records also reportedly placed him at the scene of the disappearance on the night of McCann's disappearance.

Since the disappearance of McCann in 2007, the search for the young girl and the efforts of her parents to find her alive captivated people across Europe. McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry, have kept hope alive and reflected on the events at the time in recent years. A recent birthday post dedicated to McCann echoed this sentiment. "We love you and we're waiting for you and we're never going to give you up," the Facebook post read.

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