#Suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance had female accomplice: cops

Authorities are questioning an ex-girlfriend of the convicted pedophile who is the main suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, saying the woman was an alleged accomplice in some of his crimes.

Christian Brueckner, 43, allegedly committed a string of robberies in the south of Portugal with Nicole Fehlinger and called her on May 3, 2007, the night that the 3-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from a popular resort in the area, the Sun reported. Brueckner and Fehlinger are Germans.

The call came shortly before McCann’s disappearance, Portuguese broadcaster RTP reported, and may have signaled Brueckner that the coast was clear, although there is no suggestion she knew Brueckner was allegedly planning to kidnap the girl.

Police don’t think Fehlinger played a role in McCann’s disappearance but are questioning her about other crimes that took place in 2007 throughout Spain’s Algarve region, according to news outlets.

Brueckner and Fehlinger allegedly robbed summer homes, once allegedly grabbing 100,000 Euros stuffed into a suitcase.

“It was always the same modus operandi,” the RTP report said. “She called him saying the house was free. Then it got robbed.”