43-Year-Old Man Identified as New Suspect in 2007 Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

A 43-year-old German man has been identified as a new suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine “Maddie” McCann, 13 years after she went missing in Portugal.

British and German authorities are now looking into the individual ⁠— who was not named ⁠— after it was speculated he may have been in Praia Da Luz that fateful night she vanished from her bed on May 3, 2007.

#MadeleineMcCann | Significant Investigative Update

Suspect identified as 43yo German man. We reveal 2 vehicles suspect is known to have used around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance & phone numbers relevant to investigation.

📽️ | DCI Cranwell appeals for public assistance

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 3, 2020

“We reveal two vehicles suspect is known to have used around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance and phone numbers relevant to investigation,” the caption read on a video posted by London’s Metropolitan Police Service via Twitter on Wednesday, June 3.

“The first vehicle is a distinctive VW T3 Westfalia campervan … The second vehicle is a 1993 British Jaguar, model XJR 6, with a German number plate and registered in Germany,” they shared in an update.

In the clip, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell said “there have been some significant developments in this investigation.” Cranwell also asked the public to speak out if they have any further information regarding the case.

The German State Prosecutor’s office revealed the suspect is currently serving a “long prison sentence” for an unrelated matter, and has previous convictions over child sexual abuse. Now, police are investigating him “for possible murder” after seeing his phone logs and discovering the suspect “lived more or less permanently in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007.” He’s described as a tall caucasian man with blond hair and a slim build.

Madeleine’s disappearance captured the attention of people from all over the world. A few days before her fourth birthday, she was seemingly taken from her family’s holiday apartment while her parents had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant. The 3-year-old’s twin siblings Sean and Amelie were also on the getaway at the time.

Amid this shocking development, Madeleine’s mother and father, Kate and Gerry McCann, thanked “police forces involved” for not giving up the search.

“All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice,” the parents said. “We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace.”