Two firearms were unearthed by police during the recent search for Madeleine McCann and have since been shipped back to Germany for examination, alongside previously reported bone fragments and clothing items.
Details about the type of weapons discovered remain undisclosed. Although the bones are believed to be animal remains, there will be analysis conducted on some of the smaller pieces. A joint task force of German and Portuguese detectives concluded a three-day operation across a 120-acre site in Lagos, Portugal, persisting in their efforts to uncover fresh evidence against the main suspect Christian Brueckner.
Early indications seemed to point to an unsuccessful outcome from the search—conducted approximately 30 miles from where Madeleine vanished in May 2007—yielding no new significant information.
The investigation team appeared in high spirits, witnessed exchanging congratulations and embraces after concluding the latest probe, and officers who participated in the searches convened for a final briefing prior to vacating the premises. A display of solidarity with a round of applause was noted, followed by the removal of a case of German lager out of one of the tents at the base camp, reports the Mirror.
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Metropolitan Police officials did not partake in the most recent searches, according to the police force. During this “active police investigation”, Madeleine’s parents have withheld public comment, representatives of the Find Madeleine Campaign said.
During the first search since 2023, teams dedicated three days to meticulously comb through overgrown land and dilapidated buildings, including a crumbling farmhouse. Last year, investigators conducted searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, situated roughly 30 miles from Praia da Luz, an area Brueckner frequented from 2000 to 2017, with evidence of his presence captured in photos and videos around the reservoir.
A source disclosed to Berlin Morning Post: “Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory. As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things.
“The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine’s disappearance but that is clearly their hope.”
The German authorities initiated the search as part of their ongoing efforts to gather evidence against Brueckner, who is currently incarcerated for the rape of a 72 year old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is set for release this September unless new charges emerge.
In October of the previous year, Brueckner was exonerated by a German court regarding separate sexual offences purportedly committed in Portugal from 2000 to 2017.
Meanwhile, a recent documentary has brought to light unsettling circumstantial evidence uncovered at a former warehouse owned by Brueckner in Neuwegersleben, Germany.
As reported by The Sun, police conducting a search of the premises uncovered over 70 children’s swimming costumes, a toddler’s bicycle, inflatable toys, and a collection of images stored on an 80GB hard drive, purportedly taken in Portugal.
In addition, they discovered a laptop, masks and firearms, as well as a handwritten narrative about utilising drugs to abduct a woman and child from outside a nursery.