Madeleine McCann: Pedophile who lived in van, made 30-min call before disappearance identified as main suspect
In what could be seen as a possible breakthrough for the 13-year-long case, detectives investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance have found some key pieces of evidence. The new leads include an astonishing and mysterious phone call that was made around an hour before Madeleine was last seen and a camper van the prime suspect is believed to have been living in.
German detectives on the case believe they have 'almost enough evidence' their new prime suspect is the man who kidnapped her and now Scotland Yard is looking into the German suspect, 43. They are also looking into a 30-minute phone call that the suspect had made only an hour before the 3-year-old was snatched from her bed.
Madeleine vanished at the age of 3 while she was on a vacation with her parents at a Portuguese resort in May 2007. The unnamed German, is currently serving a seven-year jail sentence for reportedly for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in her home, according to Braunschweig Zeitung. The man is suspected to have been in and around Praia da Luz on the Algarve coast around the time Maddie in 2007.
The police also revealed that they were taking a "really unusual" step and were releasing two mobile numbers as part of their appeal to try and find Madeleine. The first number (+351) 912 730 680 was reportedly used by the suspect who received a call from (+351) 916 510 683 while in the Praia da Luz area.
The call lasted for a period of around half an hour and started at 7.32 pm and ended by 8.02 pm on the same night of Madeleine's disappearance. Later on that night, Madeleine's father Gerry went to check on his children- Madeleine and her twin siblings just after 9 pm and found nothing wrong or amiss at the Ocean Club. However, when Madeleine's mother Kate returned at 10 pm to check on the children, she found that Madeleine was missing.
The German authorities have also revealed photographs of the vehicles used by the suspect, The Sun stated. Police added that "He could have used one of these vehicles to commit the crime". According to detectives, the suspect has also been associated with a 1980s white caravan that had yellow skirting and a Portugal registry. The police say that the suspect had been driving the same vehicle in town just two days before Madeleine vanished. The suspect has also been linked to a 1993 Jaguar XJR6 with a German number plate seen in Praia da Luz and surrounding areas in 2006 and 2007.
DCI Mark Cranwell, who is leading the Met inquiry said the suspect, then aged 30, frequented the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, staying for "days upon end" in his camper van and lived a "transient lifestyle". The police shared that the suspect also spent some time in a house between Lagos and Praia da Luz. He was also known for doing random 'odd jobs' in the Lagos area. The authorities suspect that he had made his living by committing crimes and has been jailed on multiple occasions for sexually abusing children.
Watch the Met Police's appeal here
Cranwell shared, "Any information in relation to these mobile numbers during the spring and summer of 2007 could be critical to this investigation. Some people will know the man we are describing today, the suspect in our investigation. I'm appealing to you directly."
"You may know, you may be aware of some of the things he has done. He may have confided in you about the disappearance of Madeleine. More than 13 years have passed and your loyalties may have changed. This individual is in prison and we are conscious that some people may have been concerned about contacting police in the past. Now is the time to come forward," Cranwell added.
It is claimed the German man was not among the 600 people of interest in the Met's original investigation and first appeared on their radar following the 2017 appeal for new information. The suspect has been described as white with short blonde hair, possibly fair, and around 6ft tall with a slim build.
This breakthrough comes as a ray of light to her parents Kate and Gerry McCann, who have never given up hope in the search for their daughter.