A Portuguese newspaper has unveiled a disturbing new theory in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann that aims to challenge everything people thought they knew about the case—that the three-year-old may have been run over by a drunk German woman, and her body later dumped in the sea with the help of her British husband.
The claim also accuses German prosecutors of failing to act on a crucial tip that surfaced in 2018, stating that they sidelined it in favor of pursuing Christian Brueckner, the man long suspected of abducting and murdering Madeleine.
- A Portuguese newspaper revealed a new theory that Madeleine McCann was run over by a drunk German woman, not abducted.
- The alleged suspects allegedly helped dump Madeleine’s body in the sea after the accident occurred.
- German prosecutors reportedly ignored key 2018 tip-offs and blocked covert operations to pursue this alternative theory.
- German authorities decided to focus instead on pursuing Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in McCann’s disappearance
The allegations come at a critical time, as Brueckner’s prison sentence for an unrelated crime nears its end and authorities renew efforts to link him to the toddler’s disappearance in an effort to keep him behind bars.
Bombshell Portuguese newspaper report claims that Madeleine McCann was run over by a drunk woman, not abducted
Image credits: Sipa USA
The paper, Correio da Manha, alleges that a British woman came forward to UK authorities in 2018, stating she feared her brother and his German wife were involved in the child’s disappearance.
“She said her brother was an alcoholic and since the day Madeleine vanished had appeared to hide a painful secret,” the report read.
The woman’s concern allegedly originated from years of suspicion that her brother was “covering up a dark secret” involving his wife running Madeleine over while intoxicated.
Image credits: 48 Hours
The information was then passed to Portuguese police, who identified a disturbing overlap: a report filed on May 4, 2007—the day after Madeleine vanished—by a neighbor of the same couple.
Image credits: James Manning/PA Images
According to the report, the neighbor told police she had heard the man yelling “Why did you bring her!?” several times during a heated argument with his wife.
The neighbor described the couple as alcoholics, with the woman being of German origin, and the man, British.
“It was the same man whose sister had reported him to police,” Correio da Manhã claimed. “She was the woman who had been drinking in a café next to the Ocean Club, where little Madeleine was staying.”
The newspaper accuses German police of deliberately ignoring crucial tips in order to focus on building a case against Brueckner
Image credits: Sipa USA
Despite the new lead, the paper claims efforts to pursue the theory were blocked by German authorities.
Portuguese investigators reportedly requested authorization to carry out a covert operation involving an undercover officer tasked with befriending the German woman, in hopes of getting a confession from her.
German prosecutors refused, the newspaper claims.
Image credits: EM Productions
“German prosecutors were asked to authorize a covert police operation with someone posing as a friend of the woman’s and trying to get her to confess, but the courts refused,” Correio da Manhã claimed.
“It was decided to continue solely with the investigation into suspect Christian Brueckner, rejecting other possibilities.”
Image credits: Netflix
The paper also said that German authorities turned down requests to probe whether the German woman might have driven Madeleine home drunk after hitting her, and then disposed of her body at sea.
The theory was supported by a witness, who allegedly told police at the time that they had seen a woman and a young girl in a car matching the one owned by the German wife.
“The PJ concluded she could have run Madeleine over and panicked,” the report read.
Time is running out for prosecutors as they scramble to gather enough evidence to keep Brueckner behind bars
Image credits: Steve Parsons – PA Images/PA Images
As Bored Panda previously reported. German authorities’ increased focus on Christian Brueckner isn’t just about justice for Madeleine—it’s about time.
Brueckner’s scheduled release from prison—September 17—is drawing closer, and investigators are in a desperate race against the clock to present enough evidence to justify a new arrest warrant and keep him incarcerated.
Despite his status as the prime suspect in the McCann case since 2020, Brueckner has never been charged.
Earlier attempts to extend his sentence—by prosecuting him for five other r*pes and child ab*se cases—collapsed last October, after a German judge deemed much of the evidence “almost worthless.”
That left investigators with only one viable path: tie him definitively to Madeleine.
Image credits: Netflix
German and Portuguese police recently renewed their search for evidence connecting the convicted ab*ser to the missing child, returning to the scrubland around Praia da Luz—the same coastal resort where Madeleine vanished in 2007.
German prosecutors said they are ready to present over 20,000 pages of evidence, including disturbing images, online chat logs, and written fantasies about abducting children.
Prosecutors are acutely aware of both how narrow their window is, and the danger Brueckner poses if allowed to be free.
“As soon as Brueckner is free he will disappear and likely never be seen again,” a source said.
