In a stunning development in the Madeleine McCann investigation, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner has reportedly been re-questioned in secret by German authorities after a former witness came forward with a chilling new account describing the sound of a “screaming child” coming from his van.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, allegedly told investigators that she heard “a terrified young girl crying for help” outside a remote property near Silves, Algarve, in the spring of 2007 — the same period when Madeleine vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.
Her detailed recollection, corroborated by other minor evidence, has prompted prosecutors to quietly reopen a line of inquiry thought to have gone cold. Brueckner, who was released from custody in connection with unrelated charges earlier this year, was reportedly brought in for questioning under tight secrecy last week.
“This is not routine,” one law enforcement insider told The Daily Telegraph. “What this witness described — the sounds, the timing, the exact make and markings of the van — have given investigators cause to take another very close look.”
Sources close to the case confirmed that Brueckner refused to answer questions and has maintained his silence. However, forensic analysts are now reviewing vehicle tracking data and storage locations associated with his movements across the Algarve region at the time.
The McCann family has been briefed on the new testimony and are said to be “devastated” yet again by the emotional toll of the revelation.
“Each time something new surfaces, they relive the horror,” said a close family friend. “But the description this witness gave — a child’s scream from that specific van — was especially painful.”
German prosecutors have declined to comment on the latest questioning, citing the ongoing sensitivity of the investigation. Still, multiple European outlets report that a small joint team from Germany, Portugal, and the UK is now reviewing the woman’s statement in connection with the broader forensic evidence collected earlier this year.
Brueckner, 47, remains the prime suspect in the McCann case but has not been charged. He continues to deny any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
The testimony, if verified, could become a critical link between Brueckner’s known movements and the night of May 3, 2007 — a connection investigators have spent nearly two decades trying to prove.
As the McCanns await updates from German authorities, the latest twist has once again plunged them — and the world — into the agonizing question that refuses to fade:
Was Madeleine’s voice heard one last time?