Fifteen years after 3-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared during a family vacation in Portugal, investigators said new evidence had strengthened their belief that they had identified the person responsible.

German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said authorities had uncovered “new facts” and evidence connecting Christian Brückner to Madeleine’s disappearance, although he did not reveal specific details about what had been discovered.

Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, while her parents were nearby with friends. The case quickly became one of the world’s most closely watched missing-child investigations.

Brückner, a German national who had lived in the Praia da Luz area for years, was formally identified as a suspect by Portuguese authorities in 2022. He was already serving a prison sentence in Germany for an unrelated offense.

Despite investigators’ growing focus on him, Brückner had not been charged in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance and had denied involvement.

Wolters also declined to confirm reports about whether investigators had discovered any of Madeleine’s belongings in Brückner’s vehicle, saying he could not provide details about the evidence.

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said they welcomed the development while continuing to hold on to hope that their daughter could still be found.

Authorities in Germany have treated Madeleine as presumed dead, while British investigators have continued to handle the case as a missing-person investigation.

More than a decade later, the central question remains unanswered:

What happened to Madeleine McCann after she disappeared from that holiday apartment — and will the evidence finally reveal the truth?

If Madeleine were alive today, she would be 18 years old.