The 2007 disappearance of 3-year-old British native Madeleine McCann piqued the interest of true crime enthusiasts, who compared it to the unsolved murder of JonBenet Ramsey.
Many people, including Ramsey, initially suspected McCann’s parents were to blame. Kate and Gerry McCann were on vacation in Portugal with their three children, as well as a few friends and their children, when their daughter went missing from the apartment they were renting while the couple was having dinner.
The search for Madeleine lasted seven years and involved several suspects, none of whom proved to be credible. Then, in June 2020, German prosecutors announced that they were investigating a man who was already in prison for rape, according to the BBC.
Christian Brueckne r was thought to be in the area at the time, having been convicted of crimes against young girls. Five years later, a documentary revealed disturbing content on Brueckner’s hard drive.
Details on Christian Brueckner’s hard drive
On May 7, 2025, Channel 4 in the United Kingdom aired a documentary about Madeleine called Maddie: The Unseen Evidence, which was based on an investigation by The Sun.
Brueckner is set to be released from a German prison in September 2025, where he has been since 2019 after being convicted of raping a 72-year-old woman in 2005. The British outlet discovered additional evidence that may point to Brueckner’s involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
In 2008, Brueckner paid slightly more than $40,000 for an abandoned factory in Neuwegersleben, Germany. According to The U.K. Sun, police discovered over 8,000 images and videos of Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) hidden beneath Brueckner’s deceased dog Charlie’s grave. Investigators suspected Brueckner was responsible for Madeleine’s death after discovering a hard drive containing photos and other saved files.
Among the many disturbing discoveries on the hard drive was a Skype conversation between Brueckner and other pedophiles. He expressed a desire to “capture something small and use it for days.” The German man wrote stories where he fantasized about kidnapping children. In one case, he described drugging a young girl and her mother outside a preschool so that he could sexually abuse the 4-year-old.
Images on Brueckner’s hard drive suggest Madeleine McCann is dead
According to the Daily Mail, images on Brueckner’s hard drive led authorities to believe Madeleine was killed soon after her disappearance in May 2007. Police also discovered a laptop belonging to Brueckner that allegedly contains “vital information” linking him to the case.
Authorities spent several days gathering evidence from Brueckner’s factory, which included over 75 children’s bathing suits, toys, small bikes, and masks.
They also discovered three unlicensed firearms, ammunition, and bottles of liquid that appeared to be chloroform or ether. Investigators discovered satellite navigation data indicating that Brueckner had repeatedly visited an area 35 miles from where Madeleine was last seen.
According to mobile phone data, he was in that area the night she vanished.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters believes Brueckner killed Madeleine. Despite this, he has yet to be charged and is expected to walk free by the end of 2025.