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Madeleine McCann case: Scotland Yard gets funding boost as they claim to be 'closer' to the truth

British authorities could be getting closer to solving the case nearly sixteen years after the toddler disappeared during a vacation in Portugal

BY KUNAL DEY

UPDATED APR 2, 2023

A Celtic supporter holds a poster of Madeleine McCann inside Celtic Park on May 12, 2007, in Glasgow, Scotland (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND: The recent emergence of Julia Wandelt, the Polish woman claiming to be the missing Madeleine McCann, has once again drawn attention to the case that British authorities could be getting closer to solving sixteen years later. Madeleine disappeared during a family vacation in Praia de Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007 -- just days before her fourth birthday.

Kate and Gerry McCann had left their three children in the holiday apartment while they went to a nearby restaurant. When Kate returned to check on the siblings at 10 pm that day, she was shocked to find the door and window wide open and the then-three-year-old nowhere to be seen. Julia, who claims to be the missing tot, is currently in the US awaiting the results of DNA and genetic tests. Meanwhile, authorities on the other side of the Atlantic appear to have made some progress in Madeleine's case.

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Why Scotland Yard wants more money

"The reason Scotland Yard is asking for more money is that they think they are getting closer to finding out who did it and, potentially, where Madeleine McCann is," Kelvin MacKenzie, former editor of The Sun, told GB News. England's Home Office notably extended the budget by over $370,000 for Operation Grange -- the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann that London's Metropolitan Police are running.

Julia Wandelt

While the formal investigation continued in Britain, Julia was recently featured on 'Dr Phil' where she presented "evidence" to prove she is indeed the missing toddler. Referring to the 21-year-old woman's claims, Mackenzie told GB News that "all this has been a circus for Madeleine McCann's parents," who did not offer to carry out genetic tests with the young Polish woman and for whom the "last 15 years have been a nightmare."

So far, investigators have had only one prime suspect, German citizen Christian Brueckner, who was blamed for abducting the girl in Portugal's Algarve region. However, there is insufficient evidence to charge Brueckner in connection with the case.

MILAN, ITALY - This undated handout image supplied by the Carabinieri Milano shows a police mug shot of Christian Brueckner, a suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. The image was taken in 2018 in Milan where Brueckner was arrested and extradited to Germany for the rape he is currently imprisoned for. (Photo by Carabinieri Milano via Getty Images) — This undated handout image supplied by the Carabinieri Milano shows a police mug shot of Christian Brueckner, a suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal (Carabinieri Milano via Getty Images)

Regardless, with the new budget extension, Scotland Yard will hopefully find more information to find Madeleine, figure out how the kidnapping transpired, and who is actually responsible.

Kate and Gerry McCann hold an age-progressed police image of their daughter during a news conference to mark the 5th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on May 2, 2012 in London, England. The McCann's today stated that there is — Kate and Gerry McCann hold an age-progressed police image of their daughter during a news conference to mark the 5th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on May 2, 2012 in London, England (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Questions about further spending

It's worth noting that the Met Police have spent more than $16 million on Operation Grange since 2011. The original team of 40 Met officers assigned to the case was reduced to just four detectives, according to The Sun. “As long as there are unanswered questions, I can see why there is a case,” former Met detective Peter Bleksley told the newspaper. “But, in this time of squeezed budgets, I can also see why eyebrows would be raised at further funding,” he said. “I understand the frustrations of families that have missing children who do not have the luxury of such ongoing funding," he added.