Police looking for Madeleine McCann to begin major search of remote Algarve reservoir

Police guard a makeshift base camp in the Arade dam area in Silves, Portugal, 22 May 2023. Picture:LUIS FORRA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

German police looking for Madeleine McCann's body are about to begin a major search of a remote Algarve reservoir that suspect Christian Brueckner used to visit.

Madeleine was aged three when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007. Brueckner, 45, who has reportedly denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, was identified as a murder suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.

Portuguese police are soon expected to start closing off roads leading to the man-made dam near the town of Silves ahead of the official start of the search on Tuesday. Detectives from Britain's Metropolitan Police are understood to have travelled to the area but only with a “watching brief.” The search is set to last for at least two days and beyond that if anything of relevance is found.

It will be the first major operation of its kind since June 2014 when British police were given permission to do digs in Praia da Luz that involved sniffer dogs trained in detecting bodies and ground-penetrating radar. This time round expert divers are set to explore the dam but digs will also take place in woodland by the water.

It was not immediately clear what had prompted this week’s operation, and whether it was hastily-arranged after police in Germany received a new tip-off or had been organised over time as prosecutors there continue to try to build up a picture of sole suspect Brueckner’s life on the Algarve and the places he frequented.

One well-placed source described it as a German-led operation which was being coordinated with the help of Portuguese police and was linked to information the authorities had gleaned pointing to regular trips Brueckner had made to the dam.

Portugese police made their first official comment on this week’s operation on Monday.

The Policia Judiciaria force said in a statement: “In view of the news made public, the Judiciary Police confirms that, regarding the investigation into the disappearance of an English child, which occurred in the Algarve in 2007, steps are still being taken to fully clarify the situation.

“Within the scope of international cooperation, in the next few days in the Algarve region, new searches will be carried out, coordinated by the Judiciary Police, at the request of the German Authorities (BKA) and with the presence of the British Authorities.

“Information will be provided in due course on the outcome of the proceedings.” The force made its statement as German police arrived at the reservoir where tomorrow’s search will start.

They were travelling in three Volkswagen vans, two black and one dark-blue, and a Ford Ranger with a Portuguese police escort in front.

They showed up around 6.30pm local time. It was the first time all day any German officials had been seen at the reservoir, where Portuguese police and civil protection workers arrived around lunchtime today to prepare the ground for the searches starting tomorrow 

Madeleine was aged three when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007.

The area which will be searched is the Barragem do Arade reservoir near Silves where a lorry driver says he saw a woman handing a child like Madeleine McCann over to a man two days after she went missing from her Praia da Luz holiday apartment on May 3, 2007. It was searched twice in February and March 2008 by divers hired by a Portuguese lawyer.

Marcos Aragao Correia organised the privately-funded operation after claiming he had been tipped off by underworld contacts that Madeleine had been murdered and her body thrown into the reservoir within 48 hours of her disappearance.

Two bags containing small bones were found during the second search after divers had earlier recovered several lengths of cord, some plastic tape and a single white cotton sock. Portuguese police were alerted following the discovery but subsequently ruled out the possibility the bones were human because of their size.

Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate McCann had previously dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist and said there was no evidence suggesting any link between their daughter and the reservoir. It is not thought to have been searched since March 2008 as part of the ongoing investigation into her disappearance.

It comes as Madeleine's parents marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance earlier this month by thanking well-wishers and saying she is “still very much missed”.

In a short statement on the official Find Madeleine Campaign website, Kate and Gerry McCann 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. Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps.”

— additional reporting from PA