There are just four UK-based police employees still investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann as enquiries continue in Germany and Portugal to find out what happened to her.
The investigation team, Operation Grange, at present has one detective chief inspector, two detective constables and one member of police staff who are investigating the circumstances around Madeleine's disappearance from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, southern Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Operation Grange remains under review and its resources are dependent on updated information.
DCI Mark Cranwell, who oversees the British investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann told The Mirror: “We continue to support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May, 2007 in Praia da Luz. Our thoughts remain with the family. “
The revelation comes as Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann shared a heart-breaking Facebook message on what would have been her 21st birthday. "Happy 21st birthday Madeleine. Still missing, still missed, still looking," the message uploaded to the official Find Madeleine Campaign on May 12 read.
Madeleine vanished after Kate and Gerry left their three children - including toddler twins Sean and Amelie - sleeping in their apartment as they dined at a tapas bar less than 400 yards away. When Kate returned to check on her children at about 10pm, she discovered Madeleine was missing.
Convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner, 48, is one of the prime suspects in Madeleine's disappearance. He has denied any involvement in the incident. In 2020, German investigators identified Brueckner as a potential suspect and two years later Portuguese prosecutors launched a formal investigation into his alleged involvement. Investigator Hans Christian Wolters said in May 2022: "We are sure he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann."
Brueckner, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany over the rape of a pensioner in the Algarve, was born in Germany in 1976 before he moved to Portugal in his late teens. It is believed he lived in a campervan close to the holiday resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.
Operation Grange has been searching for leads into the the case for more than 10 years. Over the years millions of pounds have been spent trying to uncover what happened to Madeleine. It was previously revealed that a further £192,000 had been granted by the Home Office for the Scotland Yard investigation into Madeleine's disappearance. The confirmation of the latest annual funding was recently revealed in a parliamentary written answer by Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom.
Responding to a parliamentary written question by Conservative peer Lord Black of Brentwood, Lord Sharpe said: "For the year 2024-25 the Home Office has agreed to provide up to £192,000 to the Metropolitan Police Service through special grant funding for Operation Grange, the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. At March 31 2024, the total cost of the investigation was £13.2 million."