Madeleine McCann was born on 15th May 2003. She was the eldest daughter of Gerry and Kate McCann and big sister to twins. She disappeared from her holiday apartment in the Algarve, nine days before her fourth birthday. She was a happy blond girl, with a slight colour blemish in one eye. Some two years after her disappearance the possible connection to Epstein was released, not to be recognised until this last year.

Madeleine McCann’s Abduction

On 3rd May 2007, Madeleine and her family were holidaying in Praia du Luz a popular destination for tourists in the Algarve. She was on holiday with her family and friends of her parents. The day started like every other day with a trip to the pool, then the creche whilst her family played tennis. Once back home she went to bed at 7 pm with her siblings in a cot beside her.

At 830pm both Kate and Gerry McCann, went to a local tapas bar to meet their friends. They pulled the bedroom door too and left the windows and shutters closed. They did, however, leave the patio door unlocked, so they could access the apartment. They requested the same table every night. A table where they could see the apartment, but none of the entry points. It was stated in the restaurant booking that they required this table because their children would be alone. It is possible that whoever abducted Madeleine saw this information.

At 905pm Gerry McCann made the first check on the children. When he entered he remembers seeing the bedroom door now wide open. He checked on the children and they were all asleep. Thinking nothing of the change of position of the door, he closed it and went back to the restaurant.

Then at 930pm a friend from the party went to check on his children, also alone in an apartment. He offered to check on the McCann children whilst he was there. He reports that the door was once again wide open. Hearing no noise from the room though he went away, failing to check on the children in the room.

When Kate McCann went to check at 10 pm she found the bedroom door open, as she went to close it a gust of wind slammed it shut. She went into the room and found the bedroom windows open and Madeleine missing. She carried out a brief search of the apartment before rushing back to the restaurant stating, “Madeleine is gone, someones taken her.” This was a strange outburst, many people would have thought a child was missing and wouldn’t jump to the conclusion of abducted. The police were called at 1010pm and the search started.

Initial Suspects

As the police investigated there were several suspects, including the parents. One of the theories, were as doctors they had sedated their children whilst they went out and got the dose wrong with Madeleine, killing her. Police stated they found traces of blood in the apartment, was there a tragic accident the McCann’s covered up? The parents have successfully sued every newspaper which has suggested this. Using the money to continue the search for their daughter.

A mysterious man was also an early suspect. He was seen carrying a child past the McCann’s apartment at 915pm. This gentleman was ruled out of enquiries when it was concluded he was an innocent father carrying his daughter back from the night creche. This brings about the further question, why the McCann’s did not use the night creche.

Later the investigation would centre on a man called Robert Murat, as he was local to the area and known to the police. He would later be awarded £600 000 for defamation of character.

The final suspect to come to light, at the time, was a paedophile called Raymond Hewlett. Hewett lived in the area at the time. This was the first connection to a paedophile, it would not be the last.

The Photofit and the Similarities to Maxwell

Tired with the progress of the case, the McCann’s hired their own private detectives. They uncovered two British men who three days after the abduction had met a woman in Barcelona. The woman had hinted, after a brief conversation, that she knew something about the abduction. Working with these two men, the private investigators released a photofit of the woman they wished to question. At the time she was described as a Victoria Beckham lookalike.

However, many people have now said that the photofit looks very like a picture of Ghislaine Maxwell at the time.

It has been well reported, that Maxwell from 1990s used to recruit girls for Epstein. Could it be that Madeleine had been a gift for Epstein? In the summer of 2007, Epstein would sign a plea bargain in Miami where all co-conspirators would be free from prosecution. This would have occurred shortly after Madeleine was abducted. Is this timeline a coincidence or could there be more to the photofit and Epstein’s crimes? The publicity around the disappearance was huge, anyone involved would have panicked.

Portugal is a Hub for Paedophiles.

Epstein was likely attracted to Portugal, which has been described recently as a haven for paedophiles. Portugal would have been well known in the paedophile community. In 2010 the case of Casa Pia Orphanages came to its conclusion.

In 2010 an elite paedophile ring was brought to justice. Some of those tried were very prominent men and would have moved in the same circles as Epstein. Amongst those convicted was a former ambassador, Manuel Abrantes. A prominent television personality, Carlos Cruz and a UNESCO ambassador, Jorge Ritto. All were convicted of using the Casa Pia Orphanages as a way to claim children for their needs. During this case, a raid named Operation Predator obtained images of children. It is reported that images of Madeleine McCann were seized, although, this has never been confirmed. Paulo Rebelo, the policeman responsible for the Casa Pia Orphanage case, later became the lead investigator in Madeleine’s abduction.

This is not the first case in Portugal and will not be the last. It has become a magnet for paedophiles around the world who use the country’s lax laws to fulfil their desires. There were 38 known sex offenders in the Algarve when Madeleine was abducted. Could these cases and images have a connection to Epstein, the timeline would fit.

The Prime Suspect

Authorities will deny the connection with Epstein and will state that the picture is a coincidence and could match many women of that age. This is, however, not the last time that the timelines for the two cases will be close. In August 2019 Epstein allegedly took his own life.

One year later on 2nd July 2020, a month before Maxwell’s arrest, authorities would state that they had found the man who abducted Madeleine McCann.

Christian Brueckner is a German paedophile who is in prison for sex crimes. He has two previous convictions for sexual misconduct with girls. He has also been investigated for child sex abuse. He was in the Algarve during the time the McCann’s were on holiday. His 1980’s VW camper was pictured there, in 2007.

It is alleged that he had confessed to his part in her disappearance whilst drinking in a pub in the Algarve. His drinking partner thought nothing of this, at the time. The publicity surrounding the tenth anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance. Prompted him to tip German police that Brueckner could be their man. Questions should ask why he had not come forward before. No one has ever identified this man.

Although there was DNA connected at the time, it is impossible to identify whether this matched Brueckner, as it is considered too old. He has of yet, not confessed to the abduction, but remains in prison for his other crimes.

In a further twist to the story, a retired teacher came forward on 25th July 2020 to stated that she has seen Madeleine in an Algarve Supermarket. She says she looked 17, which would fit with her age. She recognised her because she had the blemish in her eye.

At the worse, the parents were negligent leaving their children in an apartment in a foreign country. Contrary to popular opinion, they were investigated by social services and cleared to keep their twins. Whatever your opinion on them, it is fair to say they have suffered the ultimate price for their actions, the loss of their beautiful girl.

Whether Brueckner is guilty or not remains to be proved. It is widely thought now that Madeleine is dead and will never be found. You can only hope if her fate did rest in one of the 38 paedophiles in the Algarve, at the time, that her death was quick and painless. Whether dead or alive, I hope that the family get the closure they deserve one day. I also hope that wherever her soul rests Madeleine McCann is free from pain and happy. Time will tell if this case is ever solved and whether Maxwell is the face in the photofit.