The search continues for Madeleine McCann, 16 years later

The Portuguese police, in cooperation with German and British agents, continued this Tuesday in the south of Portugal the search for the British girl Madeleine McCann, 16 years after her disappearance, amid a heavy security device.

The police action was held at the request of the German authorities at the Arade DamAbout 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz (where the girl disappeared in 2007) and one of the places frequented by the main suspect Christian Brueckner.

Observed by dozens of Portuguese and foreign journalists, several police teams and a canine unit have been working on the ground since Tuesday morning focusing on the reservoir’s land-based environment, according to Portuguese channel SIC Noticias.

Authorities have banned drones, planes and helicopters from flying over the search area, where Portuguese police have set up several booths.

The goal is to obtain new evidence about the disappearance of the minor 16 years later, from human traces to incriminating evidence that Brueckner (currently detained in Germany) may have left buried in the ground.

The search is expected to last until at least this Wednesday.

The then 3-year-old girl disappeared on May 3, 2007, when she was sleeping with her siblings in an apartment in the Algarve, while her parents were having dinner with friends at a restaurant in a tourist resort.

In June 2020, Christian Brueckner, imprisoned in Germany for other crimes, was identified as a suspect in the disappearance.

The man was officially charged in April 2022 for the disappearance of Maddie by the German authorities, at the request of the Portuguese prosecution.

Last year, the Court of Strasbourg rejected the lawsuit of Madeleine’s parents, who felt that their reputations were tarnished by the police theory that they were responsible for what happened.