The McCann Case – Current True Crime
By: Nitzaliah Festinger
This week, public interest in the McCann case was raised with the recent release of Christian Brückner. On September 17th, Christian Brückner was released from the German prison in a town near Hanover, Germany. He was serving time for a rape case and completed his sentence. However, this is problematic because he is also tied to the ongoing McCann abduction case.
On May 12th, 2007, Madeline McCann was abducted from a holiday resort in Portugal at the age of three. Eighteen years later, her disappearance remains a mystery. Police continue to search for clues as to where Madeline could be, or what has happened to her. However, it seems the more time passes, the less there is for the police to consider. Since Madeline was abducted at such a young age, they have no idea what she could look like today. Let alone where she is.
Christian Brückner has a very bad record. He was first convicted in 1994 for “sexual abuse of a child, attempted sexual abuse of a child, and carrying out sexual acts in front of a child.” Ever since then, he has been in and out of prison. His offenses have mostly included rape, sexual assault, stealing, and purchasing illegal drugs. Christian Brueckner also just happened to be in the same area Madeline McCann was abducted during the time she went missing. Considering his record, when police were made aware of this detail, he immediately became a person of interest.
As stated earlier, Christian Brueckner has committed many acts of assault. People who have been victimized by him have stated that they “feel unsafe due to his recent release”. This is very understandable considering what they’ve been through. However, the police are continuing to monitor him with an electronic tag, and he is required to meet with his parole officer weekly. This is meant to ensure the safety of his past victims and to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Now that Christian Brückner has been released from prison, police are investigating him more thoroughly. It seems as though they just need some more evidence to arrest him. He denies having anything to do with Madeline McCann, but police will continue to investigate. Along with this, there were searches conducted in Portugal back in June. While no evidence has been found, police will continue to search for Madeline McCann. Madeline’s parents, siblings, and extended family express their grief and state that they will not give up on trying to find her.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/main-suspect-british-toddler-madeleine-mccanns-disappearance-released-2025-09-17/
http://findmadeleine.com/
https://news.sky.com/story/madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-b-released-after-serving-rape-sentence-13432506
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/world/europe/madeleine-mccann-disappearance-bruckner.html
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/04/madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-bruckner-a-timeline