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It’s every parent’s nightmare: 16 years ago, three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from a room in a Portuguese holiday apartment in the Algarve. To this day, the police are left with a mystery – because no body has ever been found. Now a Portuguese reservoir is once again the subject of research, writes the British newspaper “Mirror”. German researchers provided the impetus for the new search.
A diving team is already looking for the reservoir of Barragem do Arade on Tuesday. This is 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz, where the child was abducted. The Portuguese police work together with British and German detectives. Divers will search for traces in the reservoir for at least two days.
As far back as 2008, a Portuguese lawyer said Maddie had been raped and murdered 48 hours after her disappearance and her body dumped in a remote reservoir. That was claimed by sources, CNN and other media reported at the time. However, the lake was not searched thoroughly enough because Maddie’s parents were still suspected at the time. These allegations could be refuted.
German investigators assume murder
Maddie’s parents still hope that Maddie lives and comes back. However, since 2020, German investigators assume that the child was murdered. The suspect is the German Christian B.*, who would have visited the reservoir several times.
B. is currently imprisoned for raping a woman (72) in the Algarve. He was near the holiday home at the time of the kidnapping. The German public prosecutor therefore assumes that B. could also be responsible for Maddie’s disappearance. The suspect denies this.
Not enough evidence without a body
Apparently there is not enough evidence to prosecute B. for Maddie’s disappearance. The public prosecutor does not allow access to the files. The discovery of the corpse could change that – and finally bring light to the darkness.
And the parents of the disappeared hope that the mystery will be solved. On Maddie’s 20th birthday a few weeks ago, they promised again that they would “never give up” on the quest.
* Name known
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
