The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann: Is There New Evidence That Could Solve British Girl's 2007 Vanishing?

It's been over a decade since 3-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished while on vacation with her family in a small beach town in Portugal. For over 13 years, the mystery behind the young girl's disappearance has endured, with many questions left unanswered, until German investigators announced they had discovered new clues. Authorities revisited a previous suspect on the case, Christian Breuckner, in June of last year. 

This weekend, CBS' 48 Hours will be premiering a new special that tries to piece together the mysterious unsolved case of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Madeleine went missing from her hotel room in the resort town Praia de Luz in 2007. She and her siblings were left alone as their parents went out to dinner with friends, each taking turns to check on the children. But when it was her mother's turn to check, she discovered her daughter had vanished.

There was strong evidence that led investigators to a suspect, Breuckner, but without body or forensic evidence, investigators were stopped in their tracks, according to CBS 48 Hours.

Until a USB drive containing pictures and videos of child abuse, found in an abandoned warehouse, lead investigators back to the suspect, 48 Hours reported. Breuckner is a sex-offender who has already been convicted of sexual abuse of children and is serving time on unrelated drug offenses, according to reports. He was also previously convicted of a 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman, The New York Post reported.

The prosecutors wouldn't confirm if images of the missing girl were discovered on his hard drive. But Mark Hoffman, a Germany-based crime and intelligence analyst said cell phone records possibly placed Brueckner near the crime scene at the time the crime was committed.

An attorney for Breuckner said last year that his client is innocent in the McCann case and said he has evidence to clear his name, according to the Post. He has not been charged in connection with McCann's disappearance.  

"The Puzzle: Solving the Madeline McCann Case" will air Saturday, Feb. 27 at 10/9 on CBS.

RELATED STORIES