Madeleine "Maddie" McCann has been missing for 13 years. At the time of her disappearance, the child was three years old and was apparently kidnapped from a holiday resort in Portugal when his parents were having dinner. For years, Kate and Gerry McCann have been fighting to hug their daughter again.
Maddie McCann: Will Her Case Finally Be Solved?
Now the case could finally have a breakthrough after years. The public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig is investigating a 43-year-old man on suspicion of murder. He is already serving a long prison sentence – the man has criminal records for sex offenses against children, the Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden said on Wednesday evening (3 June).
"The alleged perpetrator was then in Portugal …
How does the connection come about? The prisoner is said to have been in the Algarve in Portugal in May 2007 – at the time he was 30 years old – and was traveling with a camping van. This is why Scotland Yard is investigating the man in connection with the disappearance of little Maddie, the British "BBC" said. The accused lived regularly in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007 – very close to where Maddie and her parents were on vacation. The public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig is responsible for the case because the man had his last residence there prior to his stay abroad.
Kate + Gerry McCann finally want an answer
It would be desirable for Kate and Gerry McCann to finally get an answer to the question of what happened to their child. "All we ever wanted to do was find them, uncover the truth, and hold those responsible to account," a parent statement said in a Scotland Yard statement. "We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever comes out we need to know because we have to find peace."
Sources used: Spiegel.de, Süddeutsche.de, Welt.de
This article originally appeared on Gala.de.