London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 25, 2025

Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used by police in fresh Madeleine McCann searches

Sniffer dogs and pickaxes used by police in fresh Madeleine McCann searches

Uniformed and plain-clothed officers spend hours scouring the banks of a reservoir in Portugal

Police have combed the banks of a reservoir in Portugal with the help of sniffer dogs, rakes and pickaxes as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Emergency service divers were seen on a rigid-hull inflatable boat early on Tuesday morning at the Barragem do Arade – around 30 miles from Praia da Luz, where the three-year-old went missing in 2007.

Officers concentrated their search at one area of the reservoir – erecting white tents on a hill on the banks and were seen taking a number of bags from the zone.

Further around the water, emergency services and officials from Portugal, Germany and the UK were seen holding briefings near blue police tents.

In the search area, uniformed and plain-clothed officers spent a number of hours scouring the banks – hammering away at the ground with pickaxes and combing through small rocks with rakes and spades.

Officers taking part in the search at the Barragem do Arade reservoir on Tuesday


A track leading to the search area was cordoned off with police tape and marked vehicles from Portugal’s National Republican Guard.

The new searches come as the Home Office granted an extra £110,000 in funding this financial year for the Metropolitan Police to assist with finding Madeleine, down from just over £300,000 last year.

The total funding given to Operation Grange has been just under £13.1 million since 2011.

Portuguese police confirmed on Monday that they are co-ordinating searches in the Algarve at the request of German police and in the presence of British officers.

The Metropolitan Police said officers will be there in order to inform Madeleine’s family if there are any developments.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell said: “The Met continues to work with and support colleagues in Portugal and Germany, with their investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

“Met officers will be in Portugal and I am grateful to the Policia Judiciaria and Bundeskriminalamt for allowing us to be present whilst their work is ongoing, so that we can inform Madeleine’s family of any developments.”

A search dingy navigates in the Arade dam

A brief statement from the prosecutor’s office in the German city of Braunschweig confirmed the search, but did not reveal why it was taking place.


Braunschweig prosecutor Christian Wolters told reporters that investigators were acting on the basis of “certain tips” but would not give further details.

Four teams of officers from the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria are involved in the operation, along with at least 20 of their German counterparts, Portuguese news outlet SIC said.

It has been reported that the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 45, spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017.

Investigators believe he killed Madeleine after abducting her from a holiday apartment.

Brueckner, who has denied involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, was first identified as a suspect by German investigators.

The Sun reported that the search was sparked after they discovered video and photos of Brueckner near the reservoir.

A no-fly zone has been put in place over the water and media and other onlookers are being kept a mile back from the site of the search.

Brueckner is facing charges in Germany over a number of separate sex offences allegedly committed in Portugal during that time.

It is not the first time the reservoir has been searched.

In 2008, Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine’s body was there.

The most recent search in Portugal in relation to her disappearance was in 2014, when British police were given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished.

Earlier this month, Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann posted a short statement on their Find Madeleine Campaign website to mark the anniversary of her disappearance.

They said: “Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction.

“Still missing… still very much missed.

“It is hard to find the words to convey how we feel.

“The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Global Events: Key Developments in Culture, Conflict, and Policy
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Bruges Battles Overtourism as Visitors Steal Cobblestones and Historic Cities Struggle to Cope
Facial Recognition Technology Use in New Orleans Jail Escapees Search Under Scrutiny
Crypto Investor Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Torture in Manhattan
Labour MPs Divided Over £5 Billion Welfare Cuts
UK Signs £101 Million Annual Deal on Chagos Islands
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Welfare Cuts
Reform UK Gains Control of Lancashire Council
UK Government Introduces Measures to Accelerate Housebuilding
Government Delays Child Poverty Strategy Publication
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Carrie Johnson Announces Birth of Fourth Child
Russian Drone and Missile Strikes Kill 13 in Ukraine
Various Developments in UK Sports, Health, and Security
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Multiple Injuries Reported Following Stabbing Attack in Germany
Escalating Trade Tensions and Market Reactions
Major Global Events: Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Exchange, Nuclear Talks, and Other Developments
US President Threatens Apple with 25% Tariff on iPhones Not Made in America
Escaped Psychiatric Patient Sentenced for Killing Church Warden with Golf Umbrella
Police Scotland 'At Breaking Point' Amid Soaring Mental Health Absences
Asylum Seeker Jailed for Spreading Islamic State Propaganda Online
Billy Joel Cancels All Upcoming Concerts Due to Brain Disorder
British Taxpayers Face £31 Billion Loss from 2008 RBS Bailout
Tottenham Hotspur Clinch European Title Amid Manager's Defiant Message
Starmer's Winter Fuel Cut U-Turn Claim Deemed 'Not Credible'
Keir Starmer's NHS Boast Faces Scrutiny Over Comparisons During Strike Periods
UK Scientists Launch Urgent Study to Save Declining Bee Populations
Gary Neville Banned from Nottingham Forest's Stadium for Premier League Finale
Greenland Awards Mining Rights to Danish-French Consortium
Majority of Germans Want to Leave the Country, Poll Finds
Stabbing Attack in Germany Leaves Multiple Injured
OnlyFans Reportedly in Talks for $8 Billion Sale
Booz Allen Hamilton to Cut 2,500 Jobs Amid Federal Spending Reductions
JBS Gains Shareholder Approval for U.S. Stock Listing
Trump Signs Executive Orders to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Development
Harvard Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's International Student Ban
Nippon Steel Forms Partnership with U.S. Steel, Headquarters to Remain in Pittsburgh
Trump Expands Tariff Threats to Apple and Samsung Devices
Oracle and OpenAI Plan $40 Billion Nvidia Chip Purchase for AI Data Center
Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on EU Goods, Markets React
Americans Seek British Citizenship in Record Numbers Post-Trump Re-election
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
UK Justice Secretary Advocates for Good Conduct Release Policies to Alleviate Prison Overcrowding
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
UK Transfers Chagos Islands Sovereignty to Mauritius in Strategic Agreement
×