Madeleine McCann’s parents say finding out truth is ‘essential’ 15 years on

Kate and Gerry McCann wrote they need closure on what happened to their daughter in Portugal

Madeleine McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, say they need closure on what happened to their toddler in Portugal on May 3, 2007. PA

Madeleine McCann’s parents say it is “essential” they learn the truth of what happened to their daughter as the 15th anniversary of her disappearance approaches.

In a message on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page on Monday, Kate and Gerry McCann wrote that although “uncertainty creates weakness”, they need closure on what happened to the toddler at the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.

The Metropolitan Police, which continues to treat Madeleine’s disappearance as a missing persons inquiry, said it is “committed” to finding the truth 15 years on.

The McCanns’ post read: “This year we mark 15 years since we last saw Madeleine.

“It feels no harder than any other but no easier either.

“It’s a very long time.

“Many people talk about the need for ‘closure’.

“It’s always felt a strange term.

“Regardless of outcome, Madeleine will always be our daughter and a truly horrific crime has been committed.

“These things will remain.

“It is true though that uncertainty creates weakness; knowledge and certainty give strength, and for this reason our need for answers, for the truth, is essential.”

The McCanns went on to thank the UK, Portuguese and German authorities as well as their supporters.

“It is a huge comfort to know that regardless of time passed, Madeleine is still in people’s hearts and minds,” they wrote.

In July 2013, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation, Operation Grange, into Madeleine’s disappearance

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell of the Metropolitan Police, who is leading the operation, said: “Fifteen years on from Madeleine’s disappearance in Praia Da Luz, our thoughts, as always, are with her family.

“Officers continue to investigate the case and our dedicated team are still working closely with law enforcement colleagues from the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria as well as the German Bundeskriminalamt.

“At this time, the case remains a missing person’s inquiry and all involved are committed to doing what we can to find answers.”

It comes after convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, 44, was declared an official suspect by Portuguese authorities last month, a development that was welcomed by the couple.

Prosecutors in the Algarve city of Faro released a statement that said a person had been named an “arguido” — a Portuguese legal designation which elevates a witness to the status of a named or formal suspect.

The statement did not name Mr Brueckner but said the person was made an “arguido” by German authorities at the request of Portugal’s public prosecution service.

Mr Brueckner, who was identified as a murder suspect by German prosecutors in June 2020, has reportedly denied any involvement in the case and has not been charged.