Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have concluded a three-day search of Portuguese scrubland with minimal results, finding only animal bones, decayed adult clothing and soil samples.
The extensive operation, which cost an estimated £300,000, covered 120 acres of gorse scrubland east of Praia da Luz where the three-year-old vanished 18 years ago.
Portuguese and German officers packed up their equipment at 5pm on Thursday after scouring the area between the resort and a cottage where the suspect, Christian Brueckner, lived at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007.
Sources confirmed the limited findings would not be sent to Germany for further examination, dealing another blow to the long-running investigation.
Madeleine McCann disappeared from a family holiday in Praia da Luz in 2007PAThe operation deployed 60 police officers alongside heavy machinery, including JCB-style diggers and ground-penetrating radar devices capable of mapping underground terrain to approximately 33 feet deep.
Teams cleared shrub from abandoned villas and derelict farmhouses across 20 plots of private land in the Atalaia region, less than a mile from Brueckner's former residence.
Officers worked in small groups to sift through rubble whilst firefighters dredged a disused well at one property.
The search area encompassed abandoned buildings and wells that investigators hoped might yield crucial evidence.
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The extensive operation covered 120 acres of gorse scrubland east of Praia da Luz where the three-year-old vanished 18 years ago
PA
Robert Green, a Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Kent, explained that ground-penetrating radar serves as "the investigators' eyes, unveiling hidden depths without causing disruption."
However, he questioned the use of heavy excavation equipment, suggesting it "may have proven counterproductive."
Brueckner, a convicted paedophile formally identified as a suspect in 2022, has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
The German national is due for release from Sehnde prison within three months after serving a seven-year sentence for raping an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
Portuguese and German officers packed up their equipment at 5pm on Thursday after scouring the area between the resort and a cottage where Christian Brueckner lived at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007
PA
German prosecutors claim to have compelling evidence linking him to Madeleine's abduction and murder, though the exact nature of this evidence has never been disclosed.
Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor leading the investigation, has repeatedly refused to reveal what prompted the latest search.
The case remains unsolved 18 years after the toddler vanished from a holiday home, sparking a Europe-wide police investigation.
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