Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday home in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007. This was just days before her fourth birthday. It triggered a media frenzy that prompted an unprecedented international manhunt.
According to the Portimao public prosecutor’s office, the suspect was officially identified on Wednesday.
This announcement follows a 2020 revelation by German police that the main suspect was a child-sex offender, who was already in prison in Germany. They believed that he had murdered her.
Media reports identified the suspect as Christian B, a pedophile who is suspected in raping an Irish tour representative. He was also serving a sentence in northern Germany for the 2005 rape of a 72 year-old American in Praia do Luz.
An “arguido” in Portugal is an official suspect, but not one who has been charged. Madeleine’s parents were also arguidos at one stage during the investigation.
Despite multiple investigations by both British and Portuguese police, Madeleine’s remains have not been located.
According to police, the man identified as Christian B has a history including previous convictions for child sex offenses. He lived in Algarve between 1995-2007.
He worked odd jobs in the same area as Madeleine’s capture, and also burglarized holiday homes and hotel rooms.
Although the German was listed on a list that included people of interest during Madeleine’s disappearance investigation, investigators failed to locate him.
Her disappearance caused a media frenzy worldwide and an unprecedented effort to locate her. Photos of her were plastered on billboards and news bulletins.
The case was closed by the Portuguese police in 2008, but it was reopened five years later.
A spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s Office told AFP that “the case was reopened following new elements were discovered.” Since then, the investigations have been conducted “in collaboration with British and German authorities.”
