Madeleine went missing 18 years ago. The British toddler, just three years old at the time, disappeared while on holiday with her family at an apartment complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, back in 2007.
Her disappearance led to a massive investigation that spread across Europe. Despite all efforts, for many years, no clear answers emerged about what happened to her.
But in 2016, a dog searching a property belonging to Christian Brueckner—a run-down factory in Neuwegersleben, central Germany—alerted to what appeared to be a grave.
When the spot was checked, they discovered the remains of Brueckner’s dead dog, as well as a wallet containing six USB sticks and two memory cards.
Further disturbing items were reportedly uncovered at the factory, which Brueckner is said to have bought just a year after Madeleine went missing. Details of these findings have been brought forward in an investigation by The Sun.According to the outlet, those USB sticks and memory cards contained horrifying material. This included content that seemed to support allegations about Brueckner’s obsession with abducting children, transcripts of chats with other paedophiles, and graphic child abuse images.
Alongside the electronic devices, police also allegedly found children’s clothing and toys, various masks, unidentified chemicals, and three firearms. A suitcase was discovered with photos showing young girls, believed to be around four or five years old.
Not long after the 2016 search, Brueckner was arrested and later convicted for abusing a child, though it was unrelated to Madeleine’s case.
In February 2016, after photos were found on his laptop, Brueckner was convicted for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl in a public park. He fled but was arrested in Italy in September 2018 and extradited to Germany the following year.
