It is still not clear whether the 46-year-old main suspect Christian B. is the kidnapper of three-year-old Maddie McCann. Despite numerous clues.
Praia da Luz – 16 years ago, three-year-old Maddie McCann disappeared from a holiday apartment on the Algarve coast in Portugal. Since then, the case has remained unsolved – there is still no trace of the British girl. However, international investigations have led the trail to Christian B., who is now considered the main suspect in the missing person case. A number of evidence and finds substantiate the suspicion that the 46-year-old kidnapped the child in 2007.
Maddie case: Christian B. is currently in custody for rape
Christian B. has a criminal record for serious child sexual abuse and lived regularly in the Algarve from 1995 to 2007. He earned his living by working in the catering industry, drug trafficking, thefts and burglaries in hotels and holiday apartments. Regardless of the Maddie McCann case, B. has already been investigated for numerous offenses.
Through witness testimony, investigators found child pornography material and chat logs in which the main suspect revealed his pedophile fantasies. He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in 2005. His arrest was led to the accusation that he masturbated in front of four children in Portugal in 2017 with his pants down.
During the search operation at a reservoir in Portugal, investigators are said to have found new evidence against Christian B. in the Maddie case. © Joao Matos/dpa
There is "material evidence" against Christian B. in the Maddie McCann case
At the beginning of June 2020, the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office announced that it was investigating the then 43-year-old German in the Maddie case on suspicion of murder. The basis of the investigation was above all the fact that the accused resided in the Praia da Luz region, where the resort where the McCanns were staying is located.
It could be proven that shortly after Maddie's disappearance, Christian B. received a phone call from a Portuguese number and talked on the phone for about half an hour. In addition, the next day he had his car – a Jaguar XJR6, built in 1993 – re-registered to another person. In a TV interview with the Portuguese news channel Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), the investigating prosecutor, Hans Christian Wolters, said that there was also "material evidence" in the Maddie case. There are several parts that speak for the suspect Christian B. as the perpetrator.
- 6 clues that incriminate Christian B.:
- Testimonies
- Past sexual offenses
- Direct proximity to the place of disappearance
- Telephone conversation shortly after the disappearance
- Re-registration of his vehicle
- Material evidence
According to reporters, Christian B. was well acquainted with the hotel where Maddie was staying
A direct connection between Christian B. and Maddie is said to have been discovered by a team of reporters from the broadcaster Sat.1 last year. The suspect is said to have been busy cleaning the hotel pools as part of a pool business. As a result, the 44-year-old was in close proximity to her at the time of Maddie's disappearance and had local knowledge of the hotel.
0
Also Read
Dolomite peak plunges into the valley - rockfall changes mountain silhouette in Italy forever
READ
German travels to Thailand and breaks his neck - return flight should cost him 150,000 euros
READ
Storms: Historic flash floods on holiday island – video shows force of nature
READ
Mallorca hosts are already annoyed by holidaymakers in June: "Bad as never before"
READ
Urgent Rewe recall: Metal parts can lead to internal injuries
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
In May of this year, investigators launched a new search operation in the Maddie case. For three days, they inspected the Arade reservoir in Portugal, where the main suspect is said to have stayed several times, including shortly after the disappearance of the three-year-old girl. The area, which is about 50 kilometers away from the resort, B. called "his little paradise," reports The Telegraph. During the large-scale search, new traces are said to have been found.
Search operation at a reservoir provides new "relevant clue" in the Maddie case
Officials from Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom secured soil samples and scraps of cloth and came across a "relevant clue," as the Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manha wrote. According to media reports, the German investigators previously received a tip from a credible source who knew the suspect Christian B. However, the investigators themselves have so far been reluctant to provide details. The evaluation of the seized traces can take several weeks and months.
Maddie McCann has been missing since May 3, 2007. © Luis Forra/dpa
Christian B. himself publishes an incriminating testimony in the Maddie case
Most recently, Christian B. himself led to new details coming to light that weigh heavily on him. In a letter to a British journalist, which is available to the Daily Mail and Bild, the 46-year-old wanted to assert his innocence, citing an incriminating testimony. In a conversation with his former acquaintance Helge B., the suspect is said to have said that he could not return to Portugal for the time being because of the disappearance of the then three-year-old. In response to Helge B.'s statement that it was strange that the child could disappear so without a trace, Christian B. allegedly replied: "Yes, she didn't scream."
Christian B. describes Helge B. as a "liar" in his letter. He denies the allegations and asserts that he had nothing to do with the disappearance of the then three-year-old Maddie. But even the suspect's ex-girlfriend thinks he's guilty. His current prison sentence in the case of the raped American woman is valid until 2025, if there is no retrial, he will be released after that. For the time being, there is no trial in the Maddie case – but the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office has filed a complaint. (tt)
