Detectives investigating the Madeleine McCann mystery have secretly flown to Portugal in a dramatic new twist — questioning former friends of prime suspect Christian Brueckner, as one elderly woman insists she is convinced he harmed the missing child.
Gran Elke Piro, 69, believes Brueckner targeted the McCanns’ holiday apartment for cash but stumbled across three-year-old Madeleine asleep — leading to a terrible outcome after he panicked.
Brueckner, who was released from a German prison just last week after serving seven years for rape, has long been at the centre of the Madeleine case but has never been charged.
Elke and her husband Bernhard, 72, who once gave him shelter, were interviewed by British detectives in Portugal just days ago. The couple, treated as witnesses, spent hours being quizzed about their past dealings with the convicted sex offender, who they described as a man of “two personalities” — charming at times, but explosive and raging after alcohol.
Speaking late last night, Elke said:
“I have known Christian for years. I believe he did something bad to Maddie. My hope is that the police find enough evidence to bring him to trial in the UK. I would be willing to testify.”
She added chillingly:
“Looking back, he often seemed normal — maybe too normal. That was the most dangerous thing about him. He had a split personality. Now, I can’t bear to think what he might have done.”
The Piros revealed how Brueckner lived in a camper van on their property in the Algarve and often drank from 9am, turning into an aggressive drunk who once shouted vile things at their teenage son. Despite appearing well-dressed and polite, they described him as a “classic sociopath” who needed them constantly but never revealed what he was hiding.
In 2019, Portuguese police seized his yellow VW camper van from the Piros’ scrapyard, which later became a key focus when Brueckner was officially named the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has now hinted that extradition to the UK could be possible if fresh evidence emerges. He confirmed Operation Grange — the British investigation into the disappearance — remains active, with officers “taking stock” alongside German and Portuguese authorities.
Brueckner, who was convicted of raping an American woman in 2005, remains a suspect but continues to deny any involvement in Madeleine’s 2007 disappearance from Praia da Luz.
Sir Mark admitted the German inquiry had stalled, saying:
“They’ve done everything they can under their law, but Brueckner remains a suspect for us. If murder charges are possible under UK law, extradition could happen.”
The 18-year hunt for answers drags on, with this latest development raising fresh hopes — and haunting fears — that the mystery of what really happened to Madeleine McCann may finally move closer to being solved.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/36780976/met-quiz-christian-brueckner-pals-madeleine-mccann/
