Disturbing Images Found on a Hard Drive Belonging to Madeleine McCann Suspect Christian Brueckner

The 2007 disappearance of 3-year-old British native Madeleine McCann has been a subject of interest for true crime enthusiasts, who likened it to the unsolved murder of JonBenét Ramsey. Like Ramsey, many initially believed McCann's parents might have been responsible. Kate and Gerry McCann were on holiday in Portugal with their three children, along with a few friends and their kids, when their daughter vanished from the apartment they were renting while the couple was at dinner.

The search for Madeleine continued off and on for seven years and involved several suspects, none of whom panned out. Then in June 2020, German prosecutors announced they were investigating a man who was already in prison for rape, per the BBC. Christian Brueckner was believed to be in the area at that time and had been convicted of crimes against little girls. Five years later, a documentary revealed some disturbing content on a hard drive that belonged to Brueckner.

Here's what we know.

On May 7, 2025, the U.K.'s Channel 4 aired a documentary about Madeleine titled Maddie: The Unseen Evidence based on an investigation conducted by The U.K. Sun. Brueckner is scheduled to be released from a German prison in September 2025, where he has been since 2019 after being found guilty of raping a 72-year-old woman in 2005. The British outlet uncovered more evidence that could point to Brueckner's involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

In 2008, Brueckner purchased an abandoned factory in Neuwegersleben, Germany, for a little over $40,000. This is where police would later find more than 8,000 images and videos of Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) hidden beneath a grave for Brueckner's deceased dog Charlie, per The U.K. Sun. There was also a hard-drive of pictures and other saved files that led investigators to believe Brueckner was responsible for Madeleine's death.

Among the many horrifying finds on the hard drive was a Skype chat between Brueckner and other pedophiles. He mentioned wanting to "capture something small and use it for days." There were stories written by the German man in which he fantasized about abducting children. In one instance, he described drugging a little girl and her mother outside of a preschool so he could sexually abuse the 4-year-old.

According to the Daily Mail, there are images on Brueckner's hard drive that led authorities to believe that Madeleine was killed shortly after she disappeared in May 2007. Police also found a laptop belonging to Brueckner that allegedly contains "vital information" linking him to the case.

Authorities spent days gathering evidence from Brueckner's factory, including more than 75 children's bathing suits, toys, small bikes, and masks. They also discovered three unlicensed firearms, ammunition, and bottles of liquid believed to be chloroform or ether. Satellite navigation data seized by investigators showed Brueckner had repeatedly visited an area 35 miles from where Madeleine was last seen.

Mobile phone data put him in that area the night she vanished.

German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters believes that Brueckner killed Madeleine. Despite this, he has yet to be charged and is scheduled to walk free at the end of 2025.