Since three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her parents’ Portugal hotel room in 2007, speculation around what happened to the British toddler has never ceased.
There have been documentaries, podcasts and a Netflix series, and British police have identified almost 600 people as potentially significant.
Today, British, German and Portuguese police issued a joint appeal for information into a new suspect — a German national who is currently in prison on an unrelated matter.
The man — who was not named — was living in the Algarve region in 2007 and is locked up in Germany for sexual offences and drug trafficking.
German police say the 43-year-old has previously been convicted over sexual offences against children.
Here are five reasons why today’s announcement could be a significant development.
1. Germany is launching a homicide investigation
In the UK, police still classify Madeleine’s disappearance as a missing persons investigation.
“While this male is a suspect, we retain an open mind as to his involvement and this remains a missing person inquiry,” investigation leader Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell said.
But German police say they’ve launched a homicide investigation, with their lead investigator saying the German man is being investigated on suspicion of murder.
2. The language used by police has been very strong
