Major Blow In Madeleine McCann Case: Prime Suspect Christian Brueckner Walks Free From Prison and Investigators Now Fear He'll 'Vanish'
Christian Brueckner, the chief suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance, was freed from a German prison on Wednesday morning.
Sept. 17 2025, Published 6:28 a.m. ET
The prime suspect in the disappearance of British youngster Madeleine McCann has been released from a German prison.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Christian Brueckner walked free from Sehnde Prison near Hannover on Wednesday morning after being driven away by his lawyer Friedrich Fulscher shortly after being given breakfast.
Free To Roam Streets
Brueckner completed his seven-year jail term for rape.
A chilling image showed Brueckner wearing a red and white striped shirt as he sat in the rear seat with his hand up in the air.
He had been serving a seven-year prison sentence for an unrelated sex crime, five years after he was first named as a suspect in connection with Madeleine's case — which his legal team denies any connection with.
Brueckner was already serving the sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in part of Portugal's Algarve region where Madeleine went missing in 2007.
His freedom comes despite prosecutors branding him "dangerous" and warning "you have to expect him to commit further crimes".
Still Missing
Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007.
Despite spending years investigating Brueckner, German lead prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters has admitted his team still doesn't have enough evidence to bring charges over her disappearance.
He previously told reporters: "He is not just our number one suspect, he's our only suspect.
"We have evidence against him but in our view it’s not strong enough to make a guilty verdict likely."
Local German media said his passport had been cancelled, he will be electronically tagged, must declare a place of residence and cannot leave without permission.
"This is an attempt by prosecutors to keep him in a kind of investigative detention where they have access to him at all times," lawyer Philipp Marquort was quoted as saying.
Danger To Public
Brueckner has been freed despite prosecutors branding him ‘dangerous’, fearing he will commit ‘further crimes’.
But investigators still worry Brueckner could flee Germany despite his conditions due to no passport being required to move freely within mainland Europe.
Brueckner has convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking in addition to the rape of the woman, who has since died.
British cops have said Brueckner declined their request for an interview in connection with the disappearance, adding they would continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.
Madeleine, then aged three, disappeared from her bedroom in a holiday resort as her parents dined metres away.
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Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate McCann have never given up hope of finding their daughter.
Brueckner, 49, lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, where, according to court documents he burgled hotels and holiday flats.
The McCann case, one of the biggest missing persons investigations in history, has seen multiple suspects let go and dead ends found.
But in 2020 German prosecutors declared Brueckner their prime suspect, pointing to his phone data and links to the Algarve at the time Madeleine vanished.
They have since carried out digs in Portugal, seized items from properties and pursued new leads.
But no smoking gun has emerged.
Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, continue to campaign for their daughter, who would now be 22, to be found and issue a statement each year on the anniversary of her disappearance.
"We love her dearly and miss her beyond words," they wrote on their website.
