Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, was released from a German prison on Wednesday after completing a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime.
Brueckner, 49, was first named a suspect in the McCann case in 2020 while serving time for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal’s Algarve region — the same area where the three-year-old vanished.
Prison spokesperson Marcell Farbowski confirmed Brueckner’s release at 9:15 a.m. local time, saying he left under police escort with his lawyer. Reporters at the scene saw a car leaving the facility.
According to Der Spiegel, Brueckner’s release comes with strict conditions: his passport has been cancelled, he will wear an electronic tag, and he must declare a fixed residence which he cannot leave without permission.
Brueckner, who has previous convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking, denies any involvement in the McCann case. British, German and Portuguese police have yet to find conclusive evidence linking him to her disappearance but continue to investigate, including recent digs for evidence in the Algarve.
Madeleine McCann disappeared from her bedroom in a holiday resort in 2007 while her parents dined nearby. She would now be 22 years old. Her parents continue to campaign for answers, writing on their website:
“We love her dearly and miss her beyond words.”
