Madeleine McCann's Parents Believe Missing Girl May Still Be Alive — As Suspect Christian Brüeckner Could Face Murder Trial in UK
Madeleinne McCann's parents are still looking for her nearly 20 years later.
May 11 2026, Published 2:04 p.m. ET
Nearly 20 years after Madeleine McCann disappeared from her room at a resort in Portugal, her family is still clinging on to hope that she may one day be found, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry, as well as her siblings, twins Sean and Amelie, recently attended a prayer vigil marking the day of her apparent kidnapping, just ahead of what would have been the missing little girl's 23rd birthday on May 12.
Madeleine McCann's Prayer Vigil
The McCanns held a prayer vigil for Madeleine in 2026.
On May 2, the McCanns reaffirmed their commitment to solving the yearslong mystery of what happened to their little girl.
"The search goes on to find her, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer," the McCanns said in a social media statement.
"We remain very grateful for all our support - from friends and family, people we know and those we don't - and from the police and authorities for their continued determination and effort. Thank you," the statement continued. "For Madeleine, who we love and miss every day, we will never give up. Kate, Gerry and family."
The next day, while attending the event, Sean and Amelie lit candles in honor of their sister.
The McCanns' eagerness for answers has not wavered. The prayer vigil comes one year after the family said they hadn't "given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and that we will be reunited with her."
When Did Madeleine McCann Go Missing?
Madeleine McCann was only three years old when she went missing.
Maddie, then 3 years old, disappeared from her family's vacation apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.
"We were a perfectly ordinary family. Boring, even. Since settling down to bring up our longed-for babies, Gerry and I had become such strangers to the fast lane that we were often the butt of good-natured teasing from our friends. We’d give anything to have that boring life back now," Kate penned in her 2011 memoir, Madeleine: Our Daughter’s Disappearance and the Continuing Search for Her, of her experiences before her daughter disappeared.
The incident occurred after her parents left Maddie and her siblings to sleep in their rented room abode around 8:30 p.m. so that they could have dinner at a nearby restaurant that was only about 200 feet away.
McCanns Named as Suspects
Madeleine McCann was left alone with her siblings in a vacation rental on the night of her disappearance.
While Gerry occasionally checked on the kids throughout the night, at 10 p.m., he noticed that his eldest daughter was gone.
An investigation was swiftly launched, but Maddie was never found. Even worse for the McCanns, in the months that followed as they continued to desperately search for their daughter, they were officially named as suspects. "It’s hard to describe how utterly despairing it was for us to be named arguido (suspects) and to subsequently [be] portrayed in the media as suspects in our own daughter’s disappearance," Maddie's parents said in a statement at the time. "It’s been equally devastating to witness the detrimental affect this status has had on the search for Madeleine."
Potential Breakthrough With Suspect Christian Brüeckner
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Christian Brüeckner is a convicted sex offender.
In 2020, German authorities confirmed their belief that convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner – who was already serving a prison sentence for rape at the time – was a suspect in Maddie's disappearance.
Not only does he have a history of violent and sexual crimes, but he lived near where the McCanns were staying at the time Maddie went missing. He also was said to have received a phone call near the resort that same night.
Still, authorities struggled to secure evidence worthy of a trial and he has yet to be charged.
But there could be a breakthrough in the case. As Radar previously reported, police are trying to transfer him to the UK to face potential murder charges. Investigators are hoping to strengthen the evidence that they already have against him by the 20th anniversary of Maddie's kidnapping.
