It’s a mystery that has been compared to a jigsaw puzzle with too many pieces missing — until now.  In 2007, while on vacation with her parents at a beach resort in Southern Portugal, 3-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her bed, sparking one of the biggest missing child investigations in history.

Despite a global media storm and a multinational search and investigation, years passed with no answers until June 2020, when German authorities announced they had a suspect — a sex offender with several previous convictions. His name is Christian Brueckner.

“He absolutely matches the profile of a person who could potentially abduct and or kill a little girl like Madeleine McCann,” says Mark Hofmann, a Germany-based crime and intelligence analyst.

“His cellphone was tracked at the crime scene or at least next to the crime scene the night Maddie disappeared,” Hofmann tells “48 Hours” correspondent Peter Van Sant, who has been covering the case since 2007.

Is the arrest of Brueckner the key to solving the case and finally solving the mystery of what happened to Madeleine McCann?

“It’s when you put those things together that you get that clear focus where the jigsaw becomes much, much more complete,” says Jim Gamble, the former head of the United Kingdom’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

“For the first time in 13 years, I have to say … I actually feel here is a credible suspect,” says Gamble.

WHERE’S MADELEINE?

KATE MCCANN [to reporters, May 2007]: We would like to say a few words to the person who is with Madeleine. … Madeleine is a beautiful, bright, funny, and caring little girl. She is so special. … We need our Madeleine and Madeleine needs us. … Please give our little girl back. 

It’s been more than a decade of waiting for Kate and Gerry McCann.

GERRY MCCANN [to reporters, May 2007]: We will leave no stone unturned in the search for our daughter, Madeleine.

Years of searching since their daughter disappeared on May 3, 2007.

KATE MCCANN [2007 BBC interview]: We have to be hopeful.  It’s what keeps us going and keeps us focused.

Now, they finally may be closer to finding out what happened to Madeleine.

In June 2020 in Braunschweig Germany, prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters held a press conference and made a stunning announcement: that German police had a suspect: 43-year-old Christian Brueckner. He also had devastating news. He declared that Madeleine McCann was likely dead.

Peter Van Sant: Mr. Wolters, it’s been said that German prosecutors are always very tight lipped … You must have some strong evidence that allowed you to make that statement to the public.

Hans Christian Wolters: We have strong evidence that Christian B. killed Maddie McCann.

Peter Van Sant: But you don’t have a body, correct? There’s no body?

Hans Christian Wolters: No, we have no forensic evidence.  

Peter Van Sant: Then how can you be so certain?

Hans Christian Wolters: We have other evidence.

Just as German law does not allow Wolters to use Brueckner’s full name, he also cannot say what that evidence is.

Jim Gamble: I heard the news that the Germans had a credible suspect … and my first thing was, here we go again.

Jim Gamble was head of the U.K.’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and involved in the early investigation.

Jim Gamble: Madeleine’s case was complex.

Over the years, he has seen countless leads end up as dead ends. But this time, he believes the Germans may be on the right track.

Jim Gamble: Everyone, including myself, who’s touched this case is more hopeful with the German case than, than we’ve been in 13 years.

Back in May of 2007, British doctors Gerry and Kate McCann were on vacation with their family in Praia da Luz, a resort town in the Algarve region of Portugal.

Jane Hill: The coastline is beautiful. The sunshine is beautiful.

Jane Hill is a BBC News anchor who covered Madeleine’s story.

Jane Hill: It was just a regular, relaxed week in the sun.

The five members of the McCann family, including Madeleine and her younger twin brother and sister, stayed at the Ocean Club. They were joined by several other families.

Jim Gamble: The Ocean Club Resort was seen as a place … where families went. They’d gone there for generations. It would seem to be family friendly and safe.

KATE MCCANN [2007 BBC interview]: We were having a great holiday. It was — we had lots of fun.

Especially fun for Madeleine.

GERRY MCCANN [2007 BBC interview]: She might look like Kate but in terms of personality she’s much more of a McCann. She’s very extroverted and lively.

KATE MCCANN [2007 BBC interview]: She is very sociable.

But their idyllic holiday would soon come to an end. On May 3 at around 8:30 p.m., the McCanns left their sleeping children alone in their unlocked apartment and went to meet friends at the resort’s tapas bar about 50 yards away.

Jim Gamble: That was their routine behavior. They had been doing it all week.

Jane Hill: And the friends would take turns. So, every 15 minutes or so one of the adults from the group would go back … and just check on their sleeping children and check that everything was OK.