German prosecutors have confirmed that several objects were discovered during a search of a Portuguese reservoir in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The items, found at the Arade reservoir, are now being analysed, but it is too early to determine if they are linked to the case.
The search, conducted last week, involved Portuguese police assisted by German counterparts. Heavy machinery, sniffer dogs and pickaxes were used over three days at the request of German investigators. The reservoir is located 31 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine vanished in May 2007.
Christian Wolters, prosecutor for Braunschweig, stated that the items would be examined in the coming weeks. He praised the cooperation between Portuguese, British and German police as 'outstanding and very constructive'. The investigation into Christian Brueckner, a 46-year-old German national named as an official suspect, is expected to continue.
Brueckner, a convicted sex offender currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for a 2005 rape in the Algarve, is the prime suspect. He lived in the region from 1995 to 2007 and is believed to have frequently travelled to the reservoir in his Volkswagen camper van. He denies any involvement, claiming he was 'miles away' at the time.
Madeleine was three years old when she disappeared from a holiday complex in the Algarve on 3 May 2007. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had left her and her twin siblings asleep in their apartment while they dined with friends. Last month, the family marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance, stating she is 'still very much missed'.
