Five chilling Madeleine McCann theories - snatched and sold to hit-and-run

Madeleine McCannwas just three years old when she went missing from her Portugal holiday apartment in 2007 and for the last eighteen years, the world has been wondering what happened to her.

And as a new documentary, Madeleine McCann: The Search for a Suspect, comes to ITV, we take a look at the main theories that have been circulating since she vanished.

The youngster from Leicestershire vanished on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007.

Initially the McCanns were treated as suspects by the Portuguese police, a status later lifted when they returned to the UK. Then, just last month it was reported that German prosecutors refused to investigate a couple claimed to have hit Madeleine in a drink-driving accident.

According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã, Portuguese authorities demanded action after receiving a chilling tip-off from a British woman who believed her own brother and his German wife may be hiding the truth about Madeleine’s disappearance.

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Investigators in Portugal asked German officials for permission to deploy an undercover officer with a fake identity to get close to the wife - suspected of being behind the wheel of the car that allegedly struck Madeleine, but German authorities reportedly shut the request down.

The British woman told officers in 2018 she thought it was her brother and his German wife who was driving under the influence of alcohol but police decided to continue solely with the investigation into suspect Christian Brueckner, rejecting other possibilities.

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha said the unnamed British man has now died. It did not say whether his German wife was still alive. In the front page report today, the newspaper claimed: "The German police refused to co-operate with Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria in the investigation of a clue that pointed towards Madeleine being run over.

"In 2018 a British woman went to police in the UK to say she suspected her brother had been involved in the disappearance of the youngster. She said her brother was an alcoholic and since the day Madeleine vanished had appeared to hide a painful secret."

But it’s not the only theory about what happened to the little girl. Another theory, considered by Portuguese prosecutors, was that Madeleine was abducted from the apartment by unknown individuals, possibly for child trafficking purposes. Could a predator have been watching the family and known that Madeleine was alone in bed while her parents were eating at a restaurant nearby?

Investigators looked into the idea that it could have been a planned abduction and released e-fit images of two Portuguese men who may have been collecting false charity donations in the area at the time, potentially as a cover.

Meanwhile, detectives have also considered whether Madeleine could have got out of bed, wandered off and got lost. But this idea was heavily criticised and the investigation moved towards the theory she had been abducted.

However, prosecutors believe paedophile Brueckner is responsible for the tot's abduction - but they're unable to prove it. He is due to appear in court in Germany this week ahead of his prison release on September 17. Prosecutors have not been able to charge the paedophile, who they suspect snatched and killed the British youngster in 2007.

German prosecutors named Brueckner as their prime suspect in the Madeleine case in June 2020 but despite a lengthy police investigation, detectives appear to be no closer to charging him over Madeleine’s disappearance.

Brueckner denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance in May 2007. German search teams spent three days hunting for evidence in Portugal last month. Brueckner was living in a ramshackle farmhouse on the edge of Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished.

The documentary will ultimately pose the question: ‘What does justice look like when the threshold for criminal charges isn’t met, but evidence against a suspect remains potentially damning?’

Former senior detective, criminologist and lead criminal profiler, Dr Graham Hill will speak in depth for the first time about his detailed work profiling Brueckner, as he examines the evidence and builds a comprehensive profile of the key suspect in the unsolved case of missing Madeleine.

Madeleine McCann: The Search for a Suspect is set to air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in September.

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