#‘Strong evidence’ missing toddler Madeleine McCann is dead, authorities say

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Madeleine McCann; prime suspect Christian Bruckner
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German prosecutors said they have “strong evidence” that missing UK toddler Madeleine McCann is dead, as investigators also uncovered a trove of pictures and videos in an abandoned factory owned by prime suspect Christian Bruckner, according to a report.

“We don’t have the body and no parts of the body, but we have enough evidence to say our suspect killed Madeleine McCann,” German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters revealed to Australian TV show 60 Minutes.

What the evidence is remains unclear, however, Wolters also told the program detectives dug up 8,000 items, including files on hard drives and USB sticks, buried next to Bruckner’s dead dog at the property in Neuwegersleben, Germany.

Asked if any of the uncovered images were of the toddler, Wolters said, “At the moment, I am not allowed to comment on that, so I am not able to say if there are pictures or there are no pictures of Madeleine.”

Madeleine, 3, was sleeping in a Portuguese vacation resort in 2007 while her parents were out at dinner when she disappeared.

Bruckner, who prosecutors describe as a “twisted loner,”  was identified as the prime suspect in the girl’s disappearance last month — a significant development in the 13-year-old mystery.

Buckner, 43, is known to have been in the area of the Praia da Luz resort when Madeleine disappeared, and later fled to Germany, officials said.

He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same Portuguese resort in 2005.

Buckner, whose other convictions include abusing a 6-year-old girl, has denied involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance. He has not yet been charged with any crime relating to her disappearance or death.