Madeleine has not been seen since she vanished during a family holiday in Portugal at just three years old
(Image: PA)
The parents of Madeleine McCann have posted a New Year update as they express their hope for a breakthrough in their search for their missing daughter this year, the Mirror reports.
Madeleine vanished during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007 and has not been seen since. She was just three years old at the time of her disappearance, which continues to make international headlines almost two decades on.
The British toddler disappeared from a rented apartment while her parents were having dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant, sparking a major search operation that has spanned nearly 20 years across multiple countries.
Madeleine McCann. (Image: PA)
There have been thousands of leads in the case but to this day, Madeleine’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The latest prime suspect in the case, German national Christian Brueckner has piqued the interest of investigators but he has yet to receive any charges in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance.
Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner.(Image: Phil Harris)
Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have now shared an emotional statement expressing hope that 2026 will bring “the breakthrough we long for”.
Writing on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page, the couple said: “As 2025 draws to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us, in whatever way, over the past year & for continuing to hope for positive news of Madeleine.”
The couple said they had joined with charity Missing People in supporting Safecall – which gives free and confidential support to young people at risk from criminal or sexual exploitation – or those who have left or are thinking of leaving home or their place of care.
The McCanns thanked the public and police for their support throughout the investigation, and ended their message with: “With our best wishes for a peaceful & positive new year & may 2026 bring us the breakthrough we long for. Kate, Gerry & family.”
Last summer saw the most recent search for missing Madeleine get under way as German and Portuguese investigators worked together in operations around rural areas linked to the police probe but despite a number of days of digging, the searches did not come up with any significant leads.
Brueckner, a convicted sex offender, had been serving a seven-year sentence in Germany for an unrelated sex crime when he was named as a suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
He was released in September last year. State prosecutors said the 49-year-old would have to wear an electronic ankle tag so that his movements could be tracked.
Meanwhile, the Irish woman who alleges she was raped by the suspect in the Madeleine McCann case says she was “shocked” to learn that he’s now free to leave Germany.
In an exclusive interview with The Irish Mirror, Mullingar native Hazel Behan, who is awaiting an appeal of a German court’s decision not to convict Brueckner of her rape, says the decision to allow him to be able to travel was “like a kick in the gut.”
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