Madeleine McCann case to close after 11 years and chief suspect may not be charged

21 March 2022, 11:48 | Updated: 21 March 2022, 13:49

The Met police investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is to close after 11 years.

Scotland Yard is understood to be preparing to shut down Operation Grange inquiry later this year.

The investigation was set up four years after three-year-old Madeleine went missing in Portugal in 2007. There are fears that German prime suspect Christian Brueckner will never be charged.

A source connected to the UK side of the investigation told The Sun: “The end of the road for Operation Grange is now in sight.

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“The team’s work is expected to be completed by autumn. There are currently no plans to take the inquiry any further.”

The Met police has applied for a grant to keep funding the operation through to September. Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann are understood to be aware of the plans to wind down the investigation. The case could be reopened at a later date if new evidence emerges.

Maddie went missing on the evening of May 3 2007, from her holiday apartment at the Ocean Club.

German police named Brueckner as the prime suspect in the case in 2020 but charges have never been brought. German prosecutors admitted last year that evidence detectives had obtained against Brueckner was circumstantial.

Brueckner has denied any involvement in the girl’s disappearance.

The Met is still treating her disappearance as a missing person's case.