Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Is it getting tight for Christian B. now? Prosecutor speaks of “new evidence” in the “Maddie” case
Madeleine “Maddie” McCann, who has been missing since 2007, and Christian B., suspected by the Braunschweig public prosecutor,
© Federal Criminal Police Office, Shutterstock / Rex
“We found some new facts” – in the Madeleine “Maddie” McCann case, the Braunschweig public prosecutor believes more than ever that the suspect Christian B. is responsible for the girl’s disappearance. But the investigators curbed hopes of a quick indictment.
The public prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig claims that it has new evidence that suspect Christian B. is to blame for the disappearance of the then three-year-old Madeleine McCann 15 years ago.
“The investigations are ongoing and we have found some new facts, some new evidence,” said the prosecutor responsible, Hans Christian Wolters, according to the AFP news agency, in an interview with the Portuguese television station CM-TV on Tuesday evening. The investigator did not give any details.
Wolters did not want to comment on reports in the British media that traces of fiber from the girl’s pajamas from the night of the disappearance were found in the minibus of the 45-year-old German. However, when asked if he could deny that something belonging to Madeleine was found in the car, the prosecutor said explicitly: “I don’t want to deny that.”
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, Christian B. was traveling in the Algarve with a Volkswagen T3 camper van when Madeleine McCann disappeared
© Federal Criminal Police Office
In the interview, which was conducted in English, Wolters was convinced of Christian B’s guilt: “We are sure that he is Madeleine McCann’s murderer.” He added: “Christian B. has no alibi.”
What does Christian B. have to do with the disappearance of “Maddie”?
The German investigators went public almost two years ago to provide information about their murder investigations against Christian B. Wolters had said at the time that there was “physical evidence” that the girl was dead. According to the findings of the investigators, the suspect was living in the Portuguese Algarve at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance, and several witnesses charged him. The child disappeared without a trace from her parents’ holiday apartment there in 2007. Worldwide manhunts were unsuccessful.
Christian B. has a criminal record for child abuse and other crimes. He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal. In the meantime, the public prosecutor’s office in the southern European country has officially accused him of murder – allegedly to prevent a possible statute of limitations there. But: “The fact that Christian B. is listed as a suspect in Portugal shows that we are not on the wrong track,” said prosecutor Wolters in the television interview on the latest developments.
It is still unclear whether and when charges will be brought against Christian B. “The investigations will take some time,” Wolters said recently on North German Radio. Accordingly, the suspect is still being investigated on suspicion of further criminal offenses.
B’s defense has emphasized several times in the past that her client has not commented on the allegations in the Madeleine McCann case, and that the files have not yet been inspected. Until a possible conviction, B. is still considered innocent of the alleged death of the girl.
The investigating authorities are still dependent on the help of the population in order to be able to clarify the disappearance of Madeleine. On the Federal Criminal Police Office website You will receive more information about the case and can read the questions from the investigating authorities – including an important cell phone number.
Sources: “Daily Mail”, Northern German Radio, Federal Criminal Police OfficeAFP news agency