Samples dug up in Madeleine McCann search ‘could take weeks to analyse’

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This was published 10 months ago

Samples dug up in Madeleine McCann search ‘could take weeks to analyse’

By Steve Bird

London: Police searching a reservoir in Portugal in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann cleared a large swathe of woodland where they dug eight deep holes to remove samples.

After three days of intense searches came to an end, the police cordon was lifted, revealing a bizarre landscape scarred by deep and focused digging.

Officers had focused on a three-metre by five-metre area of woodland about 30 metres above the waterline of the Arade dam, where the prime suspect was believed to have spent time in the days after the three-year-old British girl went missing in May 2007.

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from a resort in Portugal.

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from a resort in Portugal.

The shrubs and trees had been felled and rusting sun loungers, chairs and a sea buoy had been set aside before the forensic excavations began.

Christian Brueckner, a 45-year-old convicted paedophile and rapist, was believed to have boasted that the secluded and remote location above Barragem do Arade, in the Algarve, was his “little paradise”.

He has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

Portuguese police investigators dismantle base camp at the end of the three-day search for remains of Madeleine McCann at Barragem do Arade Reservoir in Silves, Portugal.

Portuguese police investigators dismantle base camp at the end of the three-day search for remains of Madeleine McCann at Barragem do Arade Reservoir in Silves, Portugal. Credit: Getty Images

The very specific targeting of locations on the promontory raises the possibility that German police had taken their source to the scene to pinpoint exactly where Brueckner had stayed.

Officers from Germany and Portugal had removed a large amount of topsoil to create a shelf where deeper excavations were carried out.

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Eight carefully excavated holes, up to 30 centimetres wide and half a metre deep, had been bored into the ground and the soil bagged and removed. Some of the remaining soil contained burnt and blackened flecks of wood.

The focus of the searches suggests that officers had used ground radar and metal detectors to target specific locations. Similar holes had been dug across the promontory, some clustered around recent fire pits.

German and Portuguese police investigators at the search site on Thursday.

German and Portuguese police investigators at the search site on Thursday.Credit: Getty

It is feared samples unearthed at the reservoir could take weeks to be analysed.

Detectives have removed numerous bags sent in two vans more than 3200 kilometres to a forensic science laboratory in Germany.

A statement by Portuguese police said the three-day search had resulted in “the collection of some material that will be subject to expertise analysis”.

Christian Wolters, a prosecutor involved in the German side of the investigation, said a statement would soon be issued if nothing of significance was uncovered. But if the samples proved relevant, a public announcement would be delayed, possibly for weeks.

Prosecutors say a German national convicted of child sex offences was known to have visited the Arade Reservoir in Portugal several times in 2007.

Prosecutors say a German national convicted of child sex offences was known to have visited the Arade Reservoir in Portugal several times in 2007.Credit: Getty

“Of course, we are still looking for the body. We’re not just looking for that, of course. There are other things too. Any discovery of clothing could help our investigation,” he said.

Correio da Manha, a Portuguese newspaper, claimed that a “relevant clue” – or “trace” – was uncovered after police were seen photographing one site at the dam.

However, it was unclear whether this was related to Madeleine, as sources close to the German investigation suggested they believe the site could be linked to other victims.

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The numerous excavations at the headland have raised the possibility police were working on an assumption that Brueckner may even have hidden an electronic storage device of images, possibly taken of a number of his victims, at the site.

Brueckner was believed to have a habit of filming some of his sex crimes and kept them on storage devices.

German police are thought to have found photographs he took at the remote dam on a USB stick found hidden in a derelict factory he owns in Germany.

But Goncalo Amaral, the former inspector who conducted some of the original inquiry back in 2007, poured scorn on the searches, claiming Brueckner was a “scapegoat” and no new evidence had been uncovered.

In an interview with Sabado, another Portuguese news outlet, he questioned why the searches had been conducted, particularly 16 years since Madeleine’s disappearance.

The Telegraph, London

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