Christian Brueckner named as key suspect in Madeline McCann case | German Police state this is a murder investigation

[Solius]

Will no-one take this opportunity to discuss the new key development?

Personally I think now is the time to discuss who is better out of Ronaldo or Messi.

 

[oates]

I don't have any issue with people discussing the responsibility of the McCann's in all of this, their acts and omissions are quite important when it comes to trying to solve the case.

My issue is with people de-railing the thread by trying to turn it into an argument as to if the investigation should still be ongoing and complaining about the money spent. It's all been done before and doesn't get us anywhere.

Well, discuss the elements you want to then. In what way has anyone stopped you and how long did any argument hold you up?

 

[fergies coat]

They were in line of sight to the room. This happens all the time in resorts. Not like they went off to town in a taxi.

And they could have been outside the door and not stopped someone breaking in through the back window. They could have been in the living room with the TV on and not heard. Here in Australia you will commonly be outside when young kids are asleep inside.

Lets look to blame the criminal responsible and not the parents who have had to live with this ever since. I'm sure they are punishing themselves more than enough about this without help. I suspect that this urge to blame the parents is a defense mechanism because people don't like to think it could happen to them.

Will no-one take this opportunity to discuss the new key development?

How many key developments have there been that have led us know where? This will be another one.

 

[TheReligion]

Well, discuss the elements you want to then. In what way has anyone stopped you and how long did any argument hold you up?

Probably about 16 minutes so far.

 

[oates]

How many key developments have there been that have led us know where? This will be another one.

Perhaps it is awful to admit that when we've seen so many news articles and opinion pieces, interviews and hopeful leads that haven't developed that we could feel fatigued with the case.

Have there been any similar such cases? Unfortunately neither @Penna or myself are quite old enough to remember the Lindbergh case.

Probably about 16 minutes so far.

16 awful wasted minutes where no-one wanted to discuss the new development or seemed to want to argue old facets of the case. Terrible. Worrying.

 

[iammemphis]

I read that they used some donations on home renovations, is that true? I only watched the documentary about this case so I'm not THAT in the know.

They paid off their mortgage with some of the donations yes to allow them to work full time on finding their daughter. Personally understand this to an extent but considering Jerry went on to become a leading proffesional in his field he obviously went back to work eventually and in hindsight might have been better covering the monthly payments with it for a while.

 

[DJ Jeff]

Some homeless nonce guy getting strung up for this 13 years after the fact wouldn't really seem that uhh true to me, but that's just a hunch

 

[Alex99]

Seeing reports that this apparent "new" suspect is the same suspect identified almost exactly a year ago.

 

[sullydnl]

Seeing reports that this apparent "new" suspect is the same suspect identified almost exactly a year ago.

There were reports of a German suspect last year alright, though the guy the press actually named at the time isn't the same age as the guy mentioned in these reports nor reportedly serving time for the same crime. So I would guess the press knew there was a German suspect but misidentified the person last time out.

 

[esmufc07]

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[TheReligion]

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The German authorities are treating it as a murder investigation. I wonder what else is known.

 

[oates]

The German authorities are treating it as a murder investigation. I wonder what else is known.

No doubt you'll have some idea on what estimated numbers of paedophiles could have been present in Praia de Luz during the period of the McCann's holiday?

I understand the local population to be around 3,500 ish plus the capacity of tourists which from what II've read is intended to head for about 20,000 but we could assume maybe 13 years ago might be as much as 5-8,000 each week during the moth of May.

 

[TheReligion]

BBC News - Madeleine McCann 'assumed dead' by German prosecutors
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52916137

 

[TheReligion]

No doubt you'll have some idea on what estimated numbers of paedophiles could have been present in Praia de Luz during the period of the McCann's holiday?

I understand the local population to be around 3,500 ish plus the capacity of tourists which from what II've read is intended to head for about 20,000 but we could assume maybe 13 years ago might be as much as 5-8,000 each week during the moth of May.

No idea sadly. I don't know enough about the area itself other than it being fairly wealthy region. I guess it's difficult to actually say what paedophiles were in the area at that specific time as not all would be known to have such tendancies. We do know this particular convicted paedophile was however but I agree in the sense there is likely others some of which may have alibis or other available evidence to rule them out?

 

[oates]

No idea sadly. I don't know enough about the area itself other than it being fairly wealthy region. I guess it's difficult to actually say what paedophiles were in the area at that specific time as not all would be known to have such tendancies. We do know this particular convicted paedophile was however but I agree in the sense there is likely others some of which may have alibis or other available evidence to rule them out?

Estimates go as high as 1 in 35 UK men have paedophile tendencies. Without records any number might not have needed to provide alibis. No idea what percentage German or local but surely making a phone call and transferring property of a car isn't unique or necessarily damning. Hopefully the German Police and others can find some solid evidence.

Was the current suspect staying in his van anywhere near the McCann's holiday centre?

 

[sullydnl]

The German authorities are treating it as a murder investigation. I wonder what else is known.

Seen this said in a couple of reports:

"Both vehicles have been seized by German police, who said there is information to suggest the suspect may have used one of them in an offence."

That would seem to suggest specific information regarding the vehicles being used in an offence, rather than them just being linked to the suspect.

 

[SilentWitness]

I just can't see any scenario in which she will ever be found alive which is really sad. From the cases that I have seen either on the news or in documentaries about missing people who are found alive after x amount of time or the cases of people being kidnapped in basements like Kampusch or the Castro case or the Fritzl cases I can't remember the missing people in each case having the same media exposure that this case has. Maybe that is because I am in the UK but I would be pretty gobsmacked if she is still alive somewhere.

 

[TheReligion]

Estimates go as high as 1 in 35 UK men have paedophile tendencies. Without records any number might not have needed to provide alibis. No idea what percentage German or local but surely making a phone call and transferring property of a car isn't unique or necessarily damning. Hopefully the German Police and others can find some solid evidence.

Was the current suspect staying in his van anywhere near the McCann's holiday centre?

I'm assuming much of this would have been done over the years as it would seem the right way to start narrowing down persons of interest. This is what makes me think there's something else about this individual that is known, and perhaps not in the public domain as yet, which gives the German authorities the confidence to say this is now a murder investigation. It seems quite a big step to take and I'm not sure what benefit would be had in declaring this?

 

[TheReligion]

Seen this said in a couple of reports:

"Both vehicles have been seized by German police, who said there is information to suggest the suspect may have used one of them in an offence."

That would seem to suggest specific information regarding the vehicles being used in an offence, rather than them just being linked to the suspect.

So they have been able to track these vehicles down even though 13 years has gone. I'm wondering if they've been able to track and trace the owners during this timeframe and find more information out that way.

 

[oates]

I'm assuming much of this would have been done over the years as it would seem the right way to start narrowing down persons of interest. This is what makes me think there's something else about this individual that is known, and perhaps not in the public domain as yet, which gives the German authorities the confidence to say this is now a murder investigation. It seems quite a big step to take and I'm not sure what benefit would be had in declaring this?

I wonder if there is a degree of desperation in asking the public or people who knew him to come up with fresh evidence now.

He's a decent suspect, maybe some forensic evidence still remains if ever in one or both vehicles.

 

[TheReligion]

I wonder if there is a degree of desperation in asking the public or people who knew him to come up with fresh evidence now.

He's a decent suspect, maybe some forensic evidence still remains if ever in one or both vehicles.

I mean is it possible she wasn't killed at the scene and was taken elsewhere for a period? Far fetched but still. I guess it becomes increasingly difficult as time goes on but you'd imagine the person who he spoke with on the telephone and those he moved his vehicle on to would know this irrespective of the time past.

 

[golden_blunder]

People did that all the time when I was little. We used to go to Butlins every year and you'd often hear 'Child crying in chalet 16f',

Yep, it was fairly common practice until this happened. Parents thought it was safe

 

[golden_blunder]

Apparently he has a history of burglaries too. Could it have been an opportunistic crime, having gone there to steal and then seeing Maddie?

 

[fergies coat]

Yep, it was fairly common practice until this happened. Parents thought it was safe

Parents thought it was safe leaving 3 year olds in an apartment on thier own while they get drunk every night? This was not common practice.

They woke up the night before crying asking where they was, but they still went out again the night after. Lets not pretend most parents do this.

 

[Solius]

Christian B apparently.

 

[TheReligion]

Christian B apparently.

So that's where Benteke has been the past few years. All makes sense now.

 

[golden_blunder]

Parents thought it was safe leaving 3 year olds in an apartment on thier own while they get drunk every night? This was not common practice.

They woke up the night before crying asking where they was, but they still went out again the night after. Lets not pretend most parents do this.

I’m not saying most parents did, I saying it was common enough practice in resorts and hotels

 

[FootballHQ]

Worth noting that many hotels and resorts offer a baby listing service, which can sometimes consist of staff listening into the room via phone/monitor or sometimes consist of a nanny stopping outside the door at regular intervals to listen in. In fact Mark Warner were criticized for not offering such a service in this case, as they usually do in their resorts. This despite the McCanns making the not unreasonable point that having family members regularly go in to the apartment to check on the children was actually safer than depending on a stranger stopping and listening outside the door.

I'm sure a lot of people would object to that service too but the fact that it is offered and used enough to be a regular feature of those resorts suggests that leaving children in the room alone isn't quite as uncommon as some think.

From some of the reports I'm pretty sure they did use a creche service during the day and were offered it for evenings aswell but declined for some reason.

Interesting development anyway. Of course the parents were stupid for leaving them in the rooms rather than bring them out of the evening tapas but I've never thought they actually hurt Maddy and did away with her.

 

[FootballHQ]

The German authorities are treating it as a murder investigation. I wonder what else is known.

Has it been said if they're in possesion of the camper van? I presume some DNA/Blood came up inside?

 

[TheReligion]

From some of the reports I'm pretty sure they did use a creche service during the day and were offered it for evenings aswell but declined for some reason.

Interesting development anyway. Of course the parents were stupid for leaving them in the rooms rather than bring them out of the evening tapas but I've never thought they actually hurt Maddy and did away with her.

I can see why people have taken issue with the pair of them. They both come across as lacking any emotional awareness/intelligence. That said they have been through an awful lot so perhaps developed a protective shell which unfortunately portrays them as cold. I think that they carry guilt with them too which can't help.

 

[TheReligion]

Has it been said if they're in possesion of the camper van? I presume some DNA/Blood came up inside?

I believe they do have possession of the vehicles as @sullydnl mentioned above.

 

[TheReligion]

Named as 43 year old Christian Brueckner. Information is gradually being drip fed but this does feel like the biggest opportunity to solve this case. Also very interesting that the German authorities have come out straight away and declared it a murder case.

Brueckner is a non preferential sex offender who targets females of all ages. He all has previous convictions of burglary and clear links with Praia da Luz where he used to live, has committed rape previously and is confirmed to have been on the night McCann went missing.

Brueckner got rid of his car the day after the incident and made and received several phone calls in the hour leading up to the last sighting of McCann.

Police have recovered both of his vehicles and identified where he was residing on the resort. This area was of interest to police in the past (not sure why) and has had some excavation work done in 2011 around the garden.

 

[Deery]

I really hope for the Mc Cann family that something comes from this.

 

[Drawfull]

Brueckner got rid of his car the day after the incident and made and received several phone calls in the hour leading up to the last sighting of McCann.

If it was murder, what significance does receiving phone calls have, do you think? That wouls mean it was planned, in all likelihood?

 

[TheReligion]

If it was murder, what significance does receiving phone calls have, do you think? That wouls mean it was planned, in all likelihood?

I'm not sure but the activity on his phone around the time she went missing could mean he was working with an accomplice or even contacting a friend to try and lay down an alibi. He could even have been arranging the sale of his car which he moved on the day after. Alone it's circumstancial but with other information it could be key.

I think the police want to track down who he spoke to so they can identify his network. He lived in the region for a long time and must have made friends and associates. Maybe even some enemies.

What's your thoughts?

 

[Deery]

If it was murder, what significance does receiving phone calls have, do you think? That wouls mean it was planned, in all likelihood?

Sorry for butting in but:

He could have panicked and rang somebody, maybe that’s what the police mean by saying “somebody out there knows something”.

 

[carpy]

I'm not sure but the activity on his phone around the time she went missing could mean he was working with an accomplice or even contacting a friend to try and lay down an alibi. He could even have been arranging the sale of his car which he moved on the day after. Alone it's circumstancial but with other information it could be key.

I think the police want to track down who he spoke to so they can identify his network. He lived in the region for a long time and must have made friends and associates. Maybe even some enemies.

What's your thoughts?

I read he received one phone call that lasted 30 minutes and ended over an hour before she's thought to have gone missing rather than making several phone calls.

I also read that the car was transferred to someone else's name the next day but he didn't actually get rid of it.

 

[sullydnl]

If it was murder, what significance does receiving phone calls have, do you think? That wouls mean it was planned, in all likelihood?

Depends on the scenario really. The kidnapping might have been planned with someone else, it might be that a burglary was planned with someone else and the kidnapping was a spontaneous act by this one guy, it might be a conversation with an innocent party that demonstrates that the suspect was in an agitated state, it might be a conversation with an innocent party that gives detail on either where the suspect was or where he was claiming to be. Whatever it was, it's no surprise the police are interested in it.

Worth noting that the police have said they want to speak to the person he was talking to as a witness rather than as a suspect, though maybe that's what they would say anyway.

 

[TheReligion]

I read he received one phone call that lasted 30 minutes and ended over an hour before she's thought to have gone missing rather than making several phone calls.

I also read that the car was transferred to someone else's name the next day but he didn't actually get rid of it.

You could be right. I thought he had made and received a call (so two).

I guess keeping the car but changing ownership looks even more fishy. Knowing this now might have allowed police to pin point his movements retrospectively hence him coming to the forefront now.

I get the impression that have uncovered something to do with McCann during another investigation into a separate offence.

 

[Port Vale Devil]

I may be missing something but how in Gods name has he not been brought in before for questioning with his record and ties to the area?