Portugal reactivates search for little Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in 2007

Almost 16 years after her disappearance, the search for Madeleine McCann has been reactivated. One of the most famous cases in Europe has re-opened after a request from the German authorities. This twist comes after Christian Brueckner was accused by a German investigation as the perpetrator of the death of the then three-year-old girl.

Brueckner is being held for other crimes in Germany, and the prosecution believes it has sufficient evidence to restart the search for McCann's body in Portugal. Brueckner denied any connection to this case, but the Portuguese justice system declared him the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The search will take place around the Arade dam, about 30 miles from the town of Praia de Luz, where the last trace of the girl who disappeared in 2007 is located. According to statements reported by CNN Portugal, the search will focus on the area around the dam and not underwater.

The case

Madeleine McCann, a British national, was on vacation with her parents in the Portuguese Algarve in May 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann left the child one night in the vacation home they were renting in a tourist resort. The couple went to dinner at a restaurant located just 160 feet from the McCann residence. During the investigation, the parents claimed that they went to the house every 20 to 30 minutes to check on little Madeleine. During one of these visits, the child was no longer in the house. Since then, the investigation has been ongoing, taking several twists and turns. Portuguese authorities even considered the parents as suspects in the girl's disappearance.