4-Year-Old Girl Missing While Sleeping... UK Investigators Identify New Suspect After 13 Years

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] British investigative authorities have identified a German national as a new suspect in the 2007 disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal on the 3rd (local time). This cold case, which attracted attention not only in Europe but worldwide, is drawing focus as a breakthrough may come after 13 years.

According to The Guardian and other outlets, British police named a 43-year-old white German man currently serving time in a German prison as the new suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. Authorities did not disclose his name but described him as a 43-year-old white male with short blonde hair who had previously been convicted of sexual offenses and drug trafficking.

Authorities explained that the suspect lived in the Algarve region of Portugal from 1995 to 2007 and was near the Algarve resort where Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007. He had a phone call one hour before the disappearance occurred. British and German investigative authorities have obtained information about him and are currently investigating the possibility of murder related to Madeleine.

Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, expressed gratitude, saying, "We thank the police for their efforts to find Madeleine," and added, "What we want is to find him and uncover the truth, and we will not give up hope that Madeleine will come back alive."

The disappearance of Madeleine was a case that attracted global attention. On the night of May 3, 2007, a young girl sleeping in a resort room at a Portuguese holiday destination went missing. At the time, her parents were having dinner with relatives at a restaurant within the resort. An investigation was immediately launched, but the perpetrator was never identified, and the case remained unsolved for 13 years. Last year, a documentary series about the case was released on Netflix.