Madeleine McCann Case Erupts as Prime Suspect Christian Brueckner Could Stand Trial for Toddler's Murder in U.K. 19 Years After Her Disappearance

Metropolitan Police detectives are seeking to bring Christian Brueckner to the U.K. to be tried for the alleged abduction and murder of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann.

According to multiple reports, a senior Scotland Yard officer is reportedly spearheading the efforts to secure charges against the German suspect nearly two decades after 3-year-old Madeleine vanished while on holiday in Portugal with her family.

Brueckner — who was released from prison last fall after serving time for an unrelated rape case— was first identified as a suspect by German authorities in 2020.

But now it seems there may be enough evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to authorize charges against the 49-year-old rapist, Daily Star reported.

However, Germany’s constitution presents a significant hurdle, as it bars the extradition of German citizens to non-EU countries — meaning Berlin could ultimately deny any formal request.

One potential workaround is for evidence collected by British and German authorities to be shared with Portuguese prosecutors, allowing charges to be pursued within the EU.

Although the Met’s probe is officially a missing persons case, a small team of specialist detectives has been gathering evidence for the CPS related to suspected abduction and murder.

"Next year marks 20 years since Madeleine McCann went missing. If the evidence is strong enough to extradite the prime suspect and try him here, that is what we would seek to do," a police source said, per The Telegraph.

The Scotland Yard insider added, "Clearly, there are numerous hurdles but our priority at the moment is to amass the strongest evidence we can against that prime suspect."

May 3 marked the 19th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. The child's body has never been found.

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, released a statement that read: "19 years. The search goes on… to find our Madeleine, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer."

It continued, "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. For Madeleine, who we love and miss every day, we will never give up."

Per Daily Star, a spokesman for the Met Police said: "The Met’s investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been active since 2011. A dedicated team continues to examine the events of the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz, while supporting and updating Madeleine’s family."

"As part of ongoing enquiries, we remain in close working discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal. We will continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry," the representative stated.