Madeleine McCann: police claim case ‘could be solved in months’ - what the German prosecutor said

A German prosecutor leading the investigation into the key suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has claimed the case ‘could be solved in months’.

Hans Christian Wolters has revealed his team has received some “very interesting tips” over the past year and is pleased with how the investigation has progressed.

‘Not all questions have been answered’

Mr Wolters said he hopes his team can solve the disappearance of Madeleine, but warned it will take “several months”, as police still have many questions left unanswered.

In the latest update, he said: “We hope we can solve the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, although this will take several months.

“We are pleased with the response to our appeal for witnesses. But unfortunately not all our questions have been answered.

Convicted paedophile Christian Bruekner, 44, who is the main suspect in the case, has yet to be questioned by prosecutors, with the interview due to take place at the end of the investigation, the Mirror reports.

Asked when Brueckner will be quizzed, Mr Wolters said: “At the end of the ­investigation.

“When we have completed our investigations, we will inform the public about the result and then also about further details.”

What is known about the key suspect?

Mr Brueckner was living in a camper van close to Praia da Luz on the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared on 3 May 2007, not long before her fourth birthday.

German and UK police first became aware of the convicted paedophile as a suspect in the case in 2017, and went public with the information in June last year.

Since then, senior investigators have interviewed several potential key witnesses in both Germany and Portugal, including Mr Brueckner’s British ex-girlfriend who claims he brutally attacked her.

Investigators revealed last year that the suspect’s phone “pinged” close to the resort on the night Madeleine vanished, while her parents Kate and Gerry were having tapas with friends nearby.

Mr Wolters, who believes Madeleine is dead, said his team have yet to track down the mystery person who Mr Bruekner phoned on the same night she disappeared.

He also revealed that have not spoken to Kate and Gerry McCann about the case.

Mr Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence in a German jail for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz, has denied being involved in Madeleine’s disappearance and has refused to speak to police or prosecutors.

He is also being investigated for allegedly exposing himself to children in an Algarve playground.

Madeleine's parents have continued to believe their daughter is still alive.

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