Madeleine McCann search updates — Algarve reservoir hunt ends as cops remain silent on what’s been found
MADELEINE McCann cops ended their search at the Algarve reservoir which prime suspect Christian B called his “little paradise”.
German, Portuguese and British officers were seen packing up tents and equipment and by lunchtime teams began pulling down white tents which appeared in the search area on Monday.
Police have been spotted removing what appeared to be large brown evidence bags from the search site at Arade Dam, 31 miles from where Maddie was taken in Praia da Luz.
However, they have not revealed any information about what was found.
The tip-off - plus geolocation clues found in the convicted rapist and paedophile’s vile stash of 8,000 of videos and images - is understood to have sparked the search.
Read our Madeleine McCann live blog below for the latest updates...
This blog has been paused...
With the police search of the Barragem do Arade reservoir now concluded, this blog has been paused.
You can find all the latest information on the search for Madeleine McCann here.
Parents shared heartbreaking message to mark her 20th birthday
The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have shared a heartbreaking message to mark her 20th birthday.
The then three-year-old girl disappeared on May 3, 2007, while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz.
They wrote: “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”
Who is Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B?
Metropolitan Police took over the investigation – known as Operation Grange – in 2011.
But they had hit several dead ends in the hunt to find the truth behind what happened to Madeleine in 2007.
However, new findings have revealed that a German prisoner is a “significant” suspect in the disappearance of the then toddler.
He has now been unmasked as 45-year-old drifter “Christian B.”
He is a prolific burglar, who has previous convictions for sex crimes against young girls.
'Investigators told material on the video tape will be vital to building a case against suspect'
Key witnesses Manfred Seyferth and another man called Helge Busching have told investigators they broke into Christian B's house.
He was in jail at the time of the burglary at his remote villa in Foral, 12 miles from the dig site.
A source close to the investigation told MailOnline: "Seyferth has told police that he and Busching found a video camera and a gun at the house after they broke in.
"When the video camera was played they said it showed a masked man carrying out a sex attack on a woman and the voice they heard was (Christian B's).
"Seyferth said a gun was also found and that after finding the video camera they panicked, drove off and later threw both items in the lake.
"Seyferth has told investigators the material on the video tape was evil and if this can be found will be vital to building a case against (the suspect).
"Now another witness has come forward to confirm the story of the first two men and this has prompted intensification of the investigation."
This is the fourth search for missing Brit
This weeks search efforts in Portugal mark the fourth full-scale hunt for Madeleine McCann following the initial one after she went missing, reports claim.
The Algarve area was combed in 2013 and 2014.
Following this, a search took place in Germany in 2020 after suspect Christian B was linked to the case.
Christian B is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in 2005.
Who are Madeleine McCann’s siblings?
Sean and Amelie McCann were just two years old at the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance on May 3, 2007.
Maddie was taken from her bed in the family’s holiday apartment in Portugal.
The twins were sleeping next to Madeleine’s bed seemingly undisturbed during the break-in.
There has been some suggestion that the pair had been sedated, but this has never been proven.
Source claims cops were looking for key video evidence
According to a source, cops searching at a lake were looking for key video evidence on a camcorder belonging to the prime suspect.
It is claimed they hoped to find a gun and a camcorder that were allegedly stolen by two of Christian B's former pals.
The camera contains video evidence of him torturing and raping two victims, it is claimed.
And prosecutors reportedly hope there could also be images of Madeleine, who was snatched from her family's Algarve holiday apartment in May 2007.
Suspect is believed to have lived just 12 miles from new search site
Christian B is alleged to have lived very close to Barragem do Arade reservoir, where police recently concluded a fresh hunt for Madeleine McCann.
A source told The Sun that “[Christian B] moved around that area. He had a house 12miles from the place.”
Arade Dam is also located in-between where Christian B would park his grotty camper van in Praia da Luz and the creepy isolated villa in which he would stay in Foral.
The site is only a 40 minute drive from his abandoned Portugal residence.
Reservoir search ends in Portugal
The latest Madeleine McCann search has ended in Portugal as tents were taken down and heavy machinery was removed.
A source close to the investigation told Reuters news agency, there was "nothing to report" after the search.
How old would Madeleine McCann be now?
Madeleine would now be 19 years old as of May 2023.
She was born May 12, 2003, and went missing a little more than a week before her fourth birthday.
Authorities are also hopeful that social media could help find Madeleine, using her distinctive eyes to examine photographs on Facebook.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry, regularly give updates on the website FindMadeleine.com about the latest in the search for Maddie.
Have the police found anything in the new search?
Police have been spotted removing what appeared to be large brown evidence bags from the search site at Arade Dam, 31 miles from where Maddie was taken in Praia da Luz.
However, they have not revealed any information about what was found.
A tip-off from a former friend of Christian B is understood to have prompted the hunt at the remote site.
What is coloboma? Madeleine McCann’s rare eye condition
Coloboma is a gap in part of the eye’s structure, normally towards the bottom of the eye.
It can affect just one or both eyes, and does not mean that there is a hole in the eyes – just that they did not fully form during pregnancy.
Coloboma can affect the iris, lens and retina.
It is hard to tell how much a child’s vision has been affected until they are older.
The most common form of coloboma is the one affecting the iris – often giving the sufferer a pupil shaped like a keyhole.
Children with this form tend to have fairly good vision, although they might dislike bright lights.
Madeleine’s parents vow they will ‘never give up’
Madeleine McCann’s parents have vowed they will “never give up” in a pledge to find their daughter.
Heart doctor Gerry and ex-GP turned hospital medical worker Kate wrote online in January: “We’d like to wish all our supporters a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2023.
“As has been the case over the many years without Madeleine, the kind messages of support and Christmas wishes which we have received have brought that extra touch of warmth and hope to our lives.
“Christmas and other celebratory events will never be the same with our family incomplete, but we continue to make the best of our situation whilst never forgetting or giving up.
“We head into the new year with continued determination and positivity.
“May 2023 be a good one for us all. With our best wishes and eternal thanks. Kate, Gerry & family.”
When did Madeleine McCann disappear?
Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, when her family, from Leicestershire, were holidaying in the Algarve, Portugal.
Parents Gerry and Kate left their three children – including toddler twins Sean and Amelie – sleeping in their apartment while they dined at a nearby tapas bar.
When Kate returned to check on the kids at around 10pm that evening, she discovered that Maddie was not in her bed and was missing.
In September of that year, Gerry and Kate, who are both doctors, were sensationally named as ‘arguidos’ by Portuguese police.
While arguido is often translated as ‘suspect’, it actually means a person being questioned under caution.
The following summer the McCanns were cleared by investigators in Portugal who declared they had exhausted all avenues in the case.
In 2010, Maddie’s distraught parents met with then-home secretary Theresa May to talk about the hunt for their daughter.
The following year, Scotland Yard launched its own review, named Operation Grange, into the case at the behest of the future PM.
Two years later Scotland Yard said it had uncovered new leads while Portuguese police reopened their case.
In October 2015, Operation Grange was scaled down from 29 detectives to just four.
The Tory Government then injected extra funding into the operation as cops investigated a new theory that Maddie was snatched by a human trafficking ring.
Parents shared heartbreaking message to mark her 20th birthday
The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have shared a heartbreaking message to mark her 20th birthday.
The then three-year-old girl disappeared on May 3, 2007, while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz.
They wrote: “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”
Who is Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B?
Metropolitan Police took over the investigation – known as Operation Grange – in 2011.
But they had hit several dead ends in the hunt to find the truth behind what happened to Madeleine in 2007.
However, new findings have revealed that a German prisoner is a “significant” suspect in the disappearance of the then toddler.
He has now been unmasked as 45-year-old drifter “Christian B.”
He is a prolific burglar, who has previous convictions for sex crimes against young girls.
'Investigators told material on the video tape will be vital to building a case against suspect'
Key witnesses Manfred Seyferth and another man called Helge Busching have told investigators they broke into Christian B's house.
He was in jail at the time of the burglary at his remote villa in Foral, 12 miles from the dig site.
A source close to the investigation told MailOnline: "Seyferth has told police that he and Busching found a video camera and a gun at the house after they broke in.
"When the video camera was played they said it showed a masked man carrying out a sex attack on a woman and the voice they heard was (Christian B's).
"Seyferth said a gun was also found and that after finding the video camera they panicked, drove off and later threw both items in the lake.
"Seyferth has told investigators the material on the video tape was evil and if this can be found will be vital to building a case against (the suspect).
"Now another witness has come forward to confirm the story of the first two men and this has prompted intensification of the investigation."
This is the fourth search for missing Brit
The current search efforts in Portugal mark the fourth full-scale hunt for Madeleine McCann following the initial one after she went missing, reports claim.
The Algarve area was combed in 2013 and 2014.
Following this, a search took place in Germany in 2020 after suspect Christian B was linked to the case.
Christian B is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in 2005.
Who are Madeleine McCann’s siblings?
Sean and Amelie McCann were just two years old at the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance on May 3, 2007.
Maddie was taken from her bed in the family’s holiday apartment in Portugal.
The twins were sleeping next to Madeleine’s bed seemingly undisturbed during the break-in.
There has been some suggestion that the pair had been sedated, but this has never been proven.
Source claims cops were looking for key video evidence
According to a source, cops searching at a lake were looking for key video evidence on a camcorder belonging to the prime suspect.
It is claimed they hoped to find a gun and a camcorder that were allegedly stolen by two of Christian B's former pals.
The camera contains video evidence of him torturing and raping two victims, it is claimed.
And prosecutors reportedly hope there could also be images of Madeleine, who was snatched from her family's Algarve holiday apartment in May 2007.
Suspect is believed to have lived just 12 miles from new search site
Christian B is alleged to have lived very close to Barragem do Arade reservoir, where police recently concluded a fresh hunt for Madeleine McCann.
A source told The Sun that “[Christian B] moved around that area. He had a house 12miles from the place.”
Arade Dam is also located in-between where Christian B would park his grotty camper van in Praia da Luz and the creepy isolated villa in which he would stay in Foral.
The site is only a 40 minute drive from his abandoned Portugal residence.
Reservoir search ends in Portugal
The latest Madeleine McCann search has ended in Portugal as tents were taken down and heavy machinery was removed.
A source close to the investigation told Reuters news agency, there was "nothing to report" after the search.
Police seen leaving the site
German, Portuguese and British officers were seen packing up tents and equipment.
By lunchtime teams began pulling down white tents which appeared in the search area on Monday.
Vehicles were also seen being packed up with equipment as officers prepared to leave - including Germans facing a long drive home in convoy across Europe.
Head of Portuguese Maddie investigation Helena Monteiro was also seen leaving, along with dog team vans machinery used to clear undergrowth.
How old would Madeleine McCann be now?
Madeleine would now be 19 years old as of May 2023.
She was born May 12, 2003, and went missing a little more than a week before her fourth birthday.
Authorities are also hopeful that social media could help find Madeleine, using her distinctive eyes to examine photographs on Facebook.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry, regularly give updates on the website FindMadeleine.com about the latest in the search for Maddie.
Maddie cops asked to look out for any signs of cloth or fibres
Portuguese police sources – assisting German detectives who requested the dam search – said officers had been specifically asked to look out for any signs of cloth or fibres.
And the revelation heightened unconfirmed speculation that teams were looking for remains of the pink pyjamas the British tot was wearing the night she vanished.
Cops are working on a theory that German prime suspect Christian B snatched Madeleine, killed her and dumped her body at the beauty spot.