Madeleine McCann Disappearance: New Lead Discovered

Police in Europe believe they have discovered a significant new lead in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, and it’s like something from Silence of the Lambs. According to the New York Post, police have found a secret compound connected to convicted pedophile Christian Brueckner.

According to the Post, the compound was discovered in Portugal’s southern Algarve region, near where McCann disappeared in 2007. The compound reportedly belonged to Brueckner’s girlfriend from Germany, Nicole Fehlinger.

Police and authorities discovered the compound after interviewing Fehlinger’s father and noting that it has been overlooked. “No one knows that my daughter not only had the private residence in Portugal at her disposal, but also a separate compound,” Dieter Fehlinger told The Mirror. “No one has ever searched there or the property has never turned up in connection with Maddie.”

Fehlinger also added that the home is overgrown and guarded by four Kangal dogs at all times. There is still no true connection between the location and McCann’s disappearance, while Brueckner has denied involvement in McCann’s disappearance from Praia da Luz in 2007.

Brueckner was named as a suspect in June 2020 after German authorities took the lead in the case. At the time, they revealed only a few small details on Brueckner, including that he was a sex offender and already convicted twice before. As of May 2021, police were still gathering evidence and bolstering their case against the convicted sex criminal.

“We have gathered new evidence that adds further to the case we are building against our main suspect,” the prosecution lead said. “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.”

Brueckner is currently behind bars related to the rape of a 72-year-old woman in 2005. McCann’s disappearance occurred two years later, presenting several connections for police to look at. “We have always insisted that the man we identified as the main suspect is the man we believe committed the crime and we are not looking for anyone else. I am optimistic that we will solve this case,” authorities said. “We have found no evidence that suggests he is not guilty of this crime and we have found a lot of evidence that suggests he is guilty but I am forbidden to go into these details.”