On May 23, Portuguese and German authorities began searching a reservoir near the area where 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007.

Jim Gamble, a former senior investigator in the case, said the renewed search offers reason for hope.

“In my view, it is entirely reasonable to have hope for two reasons. First, German police are still actively pursuing the case — they have not reduced the pressure and continue to commit resources. Second, at some point, there has to be a breakthrough in this case,” Gamble said.

This marks the latest development in the search for McCann, whose disappearance 16 years ago continues to attract intense media attention.

So who is Madeleine McCann, and what happened to her? On May 3, 2007, Madeleine disappeared from the bedroom of the holiday apartment where her family was staying at the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal while her parents were out dining nearby. Her twin siblings were also in the apartment, asleep at the time.

Madeleine Beth McCann was reported missing on May 3, 2007.

The McCann family turned to the media for help, claiming that local police were slow to act and failed to properly secure the crime scene.

Over the years, the case has seen numerous twists and developments across multiple countries. Several newspapers were sued for defamation after suggesting that Madeleine’s parents might have been involved in her disappearance.

In June 2020, British and German authorities announced that they had identified a new suspect — a 43-year-old German man.

“The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Braunschweig is investigating a 43-year-old German national on suspicion of murder in connection with the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine Beth McCann on May 3, 2007,” said Hans Christian Wolters, the Braunschweig state prosecutor.

The suspect, Christian Brueckner, lived in the Algarve region from 1995 to 2007 and had a criminal history that included burglarizing hotels and holiday apartments, as well as drug trafficking. In 2019, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for the rape and robbery of a 72-year-old American woman in her home.

In April 2022, Portuguese authorities formally named Brueckner as an official suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance. However, he denies all allegations and has not been charged with any crimes directly related to the case.