Christian Brueckner, the man identified by German investigators as the primary suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, has refused a request from the Metropolitan Police to be interviewed ahead of his imminent release from a German prison.
The Met said it had submitted an International Letter of Request seeking an interview with Brueckner but that the suspect had declined. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, who leads the force's inquiry, said the 49-year-old "remains a suspect in the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation" and that British officers had worked closely with colleagues in Germany and Portugal "for a number of years" to investigate the disappearance and to support Madeleine’s family.
Brueckner is due to be released from Sehnde jail, near Hanover, this week after serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape and assault of an American pensioner in Portugal. British police described the requested interview as part of ongoing investigative work; they said the interview could only be sought via an International Letter of Request, which had been submitted and refused by the suspect.
Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve on the evening of May 3, 2007, while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant. The case sparked a global search and repeatedly prompted joint investigative activity involving police in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany.
German authorities identified Brueckner as a key suspect after establishing he had spent time in the region. Investigators have said he visited an area close to the Barragem do Arade reservoir between 2000 and 2017 and that material, including photographs and videos, placed him near that site. Searches carried out by German, Portuguese and British teams have taken place at several locations, including operations near the municipality of Lagos in June and earlier searches in 2023 near the Arade reservoir about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.
Brueckner has denied involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance. He previously faced trial in Germany on unrelated sexual offences; a photo of him in a Brunswick courtroom was published by news outlets during that process.
Metropolitan Police officials said the refusal to be interviewed would not end their work. "In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry," DCI Cranwell said. He reiterated that the force remained committed to understanding what happened on the evening of May 3, 2007, and to supporting Madeleine’s family.
The expected release is likely to be difficult for Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who live in Leicestershire. Police have not publicly disclosed details of any conditions attached to Brueckner’s release. Any further investigative steps by the Met are constrained by international legal processes and by the cooperation of foreign authorities.
The case remains open in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany. Investigators on all three fronts have periodically renewed appeals for information from members of the public since the child’s disappearance nearly two decades ago.