It’s been 17 years since 3-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, continue to live in painful uncertainty. In a heartfelt message last year, they wrote, “The absence still aches… but your support gives us strength.”

Now, new disturbing developments have revived the case. The main suspect, 48-year-old Christian Brückner—a convicted rapist already serving time in Germany—is under investigation for Madeleine’s disappearance. A former cellmate claims Brückner once bragged about abducting a child in a wealthy resort area and later questioned if DNA could be traced.

Brückner is seeking early release, alarming prosecutors, who fear they may be forced to charge him in Madeleine’s case to keep him behind bars. Investigators have discovered disturbing evidence at his hideout, including 75 children’s swimsuits, unlicensed weapons, and explicit writings describing child abductions and abuse.

Prosecutors believe they have strong evidence linking Brückner to Madeleine’s death, though her body has never been found. As legal battles continue, the McCanns and their supporters hold onto hope—for justice, for answers, and for the truth to finally come to light.