NEWSMadeleine McCann Search Intensifies as No-Fly Zone Is Implemented Over Evil Sicko's 'Paradise' Lake — 30 Miles From Where Brit Toddler Disappeared
May 23 2023, Published 2:51 p.m. ET
Though Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007, the search for the little girl has resumed in near a reservoir in Portugal.
A team of officers holding onto shovels were spotted near a no-fly zone in late May. The airspace is only open to drones, while the roads are roped off in order to focus on potentially finding McCann.
The area is of interest as investigators were allegedly led to the Arade Dam — 45 minutes from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz where McCann vanished — after suspect Christian Brueckner visited the spot, which was seen on video footage.
“It’s pretty well-hidden by the trees and you don’t realize it’s there until you’re almost upon it," a local said of the area. “People would camp there overnight from time to time, which is why you’ll find the remains of fires inside small walls of stone. It’s got old sun loungers in it and makeshift benches that visitors use to rest on. It’s very out-of-the-way and very peaceful but at the same time it’s got a slightly eerie feel about it.”
In 2022, Brueckner was made a formal suspect by Portuguese prosecutors.
"Criminal proceedings are currently taking place in Portugal as part of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case," German state prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said in a statement. "The measures are implemented through mutual legal assistance by the Portuguese law enforcement authorities with the support of officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office. For tactical reasons, no further information on the background is currently being released."
Meanwhile, a source added, “Policia Judiciaria officers are going to be divided into four teams who will focus on a land search. It will be very meticulous and exhaustive.
“Forget the idea of big trucks and large machinery. A lot of the work that’s going to be done here today will be done by hand with backup technology," they continued.
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As OK! previously reported, McCann's family shared a heartbreaking message decades after she's been gone.
“Happy birthday Madeleine. Still missing. Still very much missed. Still looking," read a Friday, May 12, post shared to the official Find Madeleine Campaign page on Facebook.
