A new twist on the Maddie affair? 15 years after the girl’s disappearance, charges were brought against a suspect in Germany at the request of Portugal, the public prosecutor’s office in Portimão announced on Thursday evening. That person, whose identity has not been confirmed, was charged on Wednesday, prosecutors said.
These charges come as German authorities have claimed since 2020 to have evidence of the little girl’s murder and have identified a German repeat pedophile, Christian B., who is already in custody, as the prime suspect.
The man was living in Praia da Luz, the southern Portuguese town where Maddie and her family were vacationing, at the time of her disappearance and is currently serving a sentence in Kiel, Germany. He was previously sentenced to seven years in prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in 2005, still in Praia da Luz.
As a reminder, Maddie’s disappearance is one of the biggest mysteries of recent years. The little Brit was about to blow out her four candles when she disappeared from her hotel room in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007 while her parents were attending a dinner party.
Her disappearance sparked an extraordinary international campaign to find her. Photos of little Maddie, with her bobbed light brown hair and big bright eyes, have been seen all over the world. On May 2nd it is exactly 15 years to the day since the little girl gave no sign of life.