Suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance released after serving time in unrelated case

A German man who is under investigation in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann 18 years ago was released from prison Wednesday after serving his sentence in an unrelated case, police said

A German man who is under investigation in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann 18 years ago was released from prison Wednesday after serving his sentence in an unrelated case, police said.

The man, who has been identified by media as Christian Brückner, had been serving a seven-year sentence that stemmed from his 2019 conviction for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal.

Verena Brinkmann, a spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony justice ministry, confirmed to NBC News that he left the prison at Sehnde, near Hannover in northern Germany, on Wednesday morning.

In June 2020, German prosecutors said the man was being investigated on suspicion of murder in connection with McCann’s disappearance on May 3, 2007, from an apartment complex in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. They said they assumed the girl was dead.

Police have since carried out more searches in Portugal. But the suspect, who has denied any involvement in her disappearance, has not been charged in the case. The investigation is not affected by his release. He also remains a suspect in an investigation into McCann’s disappearance being conducted by Britain’s Metropolitan Police, who say he refused their request for an interview.