Madeleine McCann case ‘likely to be shut down’ by UK police

One of the world’s most famous cold cases and a multi-million-dollar British police operation to find out what happened to Madeleine McCann is on the brink of shutting down.

It is reportedly said that it may signal London Metropolitan Police detectives are unlikely to pursue a convicted paedophile who German prosecutors in 2020 sensationally claimed with “100 percent” certainty had killed three-year-old Madeleine.

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News organisation The Sun reported that the small team of detectives in Operation Grange will disband in about six months when the latest tranche of British taxpayer funding runs out.

The Home Office, which funds Operation Grange, did not respond with comment.

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Operation Grange, launched in 2011 to review and investigate Madeleine’s disappearance, has cost $23.4 million.

This operation has over the years conducted extensive searches around the Portuguese resort town of Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished in 2007 while on holiday with her family.

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Divers have descended into ancient wells, land has been excavated and old farm buildings and ruins searched.

No remains or clues indicating what happened to Maddie have ever been found.

Meanwhile, in June 2020, a sign of relief suddenly breathed into the world’s most famous cold case.

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German prosecutors said they had “concrete evidence” that Christian Brueckner, a convicted child sex offender currently jailed for the rape of an elderly woman, murdered Madeleine 14 years ago. The claim triggered a wave of headlines around the world.

Brueckner, however, almost two years later, has never been charged as he has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

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Over the years Operation Grange has given away little public information about its activities.