Sandra Felgueiras, a journalist with Portuguese state broadcaster RTP, said the searches took place on Thursday and claimed “fundamental evidence” had been found linking Brueckner, the new prime suspect, to the youngster’s disappearance. He lived in properties close to Praia da Luz and out of a VW camper van while he was a drifter at the time of the girl's disappearance. He was jailed for drugs offences and raping a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in September 2005, about 18 months before Maddie disappeared. German prosecutors suspect Madeleine is dead and have said they are investigating Brueckner for murder. Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the investigation, has said his team has "strong evidence that Madeleine McCann is dead and that our suspect killed her".

Source: Daily Mirror July 11, 2020 16:39 UTC