A former police officer has raised concerns that Madeleine McCann might have been kidnapped under the direction of a well-known pedophile network previously associated with Belgian child murderer Marc Dutroux. The assertion comes from Marc Verwilghen, a former justice minister of Belgium who supervised the Dutroux investigation. He disclosed that alarming information was exchanged among European authorities just before Madeleine disappeared in May 2007, indicating the involvement of a trafficking ring searching for a young child. Madeleine, aged three, vanished from a vacation apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while holidaying with her family. Interestingly, Belgian police had alerted 72 hours before the incident that a pedophile group had placed a request for a little girl.
Verwilghen expressed his view to The Sun, stating, “Upon learning about the case, I immediately had a sense of déjà vu as it reminded me of Dutroux. Upon examining the circumstances, it is plausible that Madeleine was abducted to fulfill an order. The warning… should have been treated with seriousness.” Dutroux, imprisoned for life in 2004, kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered girls during the 1990s and was suspected of connections to broader trafficking circles. Verwilghen noted numerous parallels between his crimes and Madeleine’s disappearance, indicating, “The abduction of children required planning and coordination involving multiple individuals to execute. Intelligence suggests that a pedophile ring in Belgium requested a young girl three days prior to Madeleine McCann’s abduction.”
Allegations that Madeleine was taken to fulfill an order surface as the main suspect, Christian Brueckner, is set to be released. Brueckner resided in the Algarve when Madeleine vanished and is scheduled for release after serving a sentence for assaulting a 72-year-old woman.
German authorities have contended that Madeleine was unlikely to have been snatched by a solitary perpetrator. Despite indications pointing towards organized networks, the focus of their inquiry remains fixed on Brueckner. A source familiar with the case stated, “Law enforcement authorities are treating with gravity the claims originating from Belgium… They believe that whoever took her could not have acted alone. Nonetheless, there is no pursuit of the network as it would complicate matters, and they prefer to concentrate on the current suspect.”
Fears have emerged that Brueckner, upon release without supervision, could abscond and evade interrogation. Detectives from Operation Grange have disclosed that they sought an interview with him, which he declined. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell mentioned, “We have sought to interview this German suspect, but for legal reasons, it can only be done via an International Letter of Request, which was submitted but subsequently rejected by the suspect. Despite the lack of an interview, we will continue to explore any viable leads. Further details cannot be provided while the investigation is ongoing.”