Investigators in the Madeleine McCann case have shared that a bombshell voicemail message could blow the case wide open.
Madeleine, the British child who disappeared on the evening of May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal, has long been the subject of internet fascination.
Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of Madeleine and her twin siblings Sean and Amelie, have never stopped their search for their daughter.
The heartbroken family took to the Finding Madeleine website on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance and shared a message to the public and soon after posted a heartbreaking update on Madeleine’s 21st birthday.
But now, investigators have revealed the shocking voicemail that has led to the biggest breakthrough in the case yet.
Madeleine was just three years old at the time of her disappearance.
She vanished from her family’s holiday apartment, leading to an extensive international search effort and media coverage.
Despite numerous investigations and appeals, her whereabouts remain unknown.
The case has garnered significant attention globally and has prompted various theories and speculation, but no conclusive evidence regarding her disappearance has been discovered.
The McCann family has never given up on looking for their daughter.
In a heartbreaking update on the anniversary of her disappearance this year, they shared: “It’s 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us. It’s hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief. Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the ‘living in limbo’ is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches.”
They went on to thank the public for their support and to share their hope that they will find Madeleine one day.
The prime suspect in the case has been named as Christian B.
He was formally named a suspect in 2022. He was reportedly sighted near Arade Dam, approximately 50 kilometers away from Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.
The 47-year-old has consistently denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance and is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the assault of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
In letters seen by the Daily Mail, Christian B protests his innocence and claims he had nothing to do with the little girl’s disappearance.
Recent efforts to uncover clues in Madeleine’s case include a search of the area where Christian B was reportedly seen near the time of her disappearance, particularly focusing on the Arade Dam.
While the search yielded potential leads, such as clothing items and soil samples, further analysis, including DNA and forensic testing in Germany, is required.
The timeline for completing these analyses may extend for several weeks to months, prolonging the wait for potential breakthroughs in the investigation.
But now, investigators have revealed the voicemail message that led to a major breakthrough in the case.
A message left on a Scotland Yard answering machine initiated a chain of events that ultimately resulted in the identification of key suspect Christian B.
In court earlier this month, Detective Constable Mark Draycott revealed that Helge Busching, a former friend of the suspect from their time in the Algarve during the mid-2000s, provided crucial information to Scotland Yard in 2017.
DC Mark Draycott, who has worked on Operation Grange, the £13 million probe into the Madeleine case, since it was launched in 2011, explains (per the Mirror): “One of my jobs was to check the answer phone messages. On May 18th I checked the answer phone and there was a message.
“It was from a male by the sound of his voice, he spoke good English and he asked to speak to David Edgar (private investigator). He said he had information and he left a Greek mobile number. I then rang this Greek mobile number and spoke to a male I now know to be Helge Lars Busching. He referred to himself as Lars and he gave information in relation to the Madeleine McCann investigation.”
Busching claimed the German told him during a conversation that ‘she did not scream’ when the pair discussed his kidnap of Madeleine.
Draycott shared the information with German and Portuguese authorities, sparking the probe into Christian B.