Go to the United Kingdom now, and the suspect has been identified in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann.

He was wearing quite a lot of clothes—and that’s one thing, in hindsight, that seems quite odd. Tourists, especially Brits abroad, almost always wear cropped trousers or shorts. But he had on a big, heavy jacket and trousers.

At the start of the week, we were told that the search site was going to be a large, 50-hectare area of land that the German police would be examining. But as time went on, it became clear that the main focus of their efforts was actually just a handful of derelict buildings.

For some time, authorities have suspected that he might have had involvement in the Madeleine McCann case, partly because of his whereabouts.

Behind the whitewashed walls of Apartment 5A, something unimaginable was unfolding. A three-year-old girl, Madeleine McCann, vanished from her bed without a sound. Her twin siblings remained asleep beside her. Her parents were dining just yards away. No shattered glass. No forced entry. No witnesses.

In the days that followed, the world watched in disbelief as hope gave way to confusion, and theories multiplied. Reputations crumbled. A media storm raged across continents.

Now, nearly two decades later, a new theory is rising from the shadows—one that could rewrite everything we thought we knew.

“We screened the vehicles using the dog, and the only reaction we had was to the car in the far corner. What we have is a reaction from the dog over here—his head’s up in the air. He’s scenting… the items he’s trained to find. And when we tie him down, he picks this car.”

Families were settling into their final-night routines. Holidaymakers laughed over wine and fresh seafood at the Tapas Bar. But inside Apartment 5A—just a short walk from the restaurant—three children lay sleeping.

At least, that’s what everyone believed.

At 7:00 PM, Gerry and Kate McCann placed their three children to bed. Madeleine, just three years old, wore her favorite pink-and-white Eeyore pajamas. Her blonde hair fanned across the pillow. Her younger twin siblings were laid down beside her. The couple kissed their children goodnight, closed the bedroom door, and joined their friends for dinner—just 55 meters away.

Close enough to check on them regularly. Far enough to feel like a night off from parenting.

The patio doors were left unlocked. The curtains drawn. It was a casual arrangement—routine, even. But in hindsight, it would become the most fateful decision of their lives.

By 8:30 PM, the adults had gathered at the Tapas Bar. Food and drinks were ordered. Laughter filled the air. Every 20 to 30 minutes, one of the group would leave the table to check on the children back at their apartments.

At 9:00 PM, Gerry returned to 5A for his scheduled check. He noticed something strange: the bedroom door was partially open, wider than they’d left it. He stepped inside, saw the children in bed, and gently pulled the door closed.

What he didn’t notice was that Madeleine’s bed—on the far side of the room—was already empty.

At 9:15 PM, Jane Tanner, another member of the dinner group, walked past the apartment and saw a man crossing the street, cradling a small child in pajamas. At the time, she thought little of it. Later, her sighting would ignite an international storm of speculation.

Who was the man? Where was he going? And was that child… Madeleine?

“That person was carrying a child.”
“And you say… male or female?”
“A male.”
“And just describe that individual to us.”
“About 5’8″, taller than me but not 6 feet. And again, he was wearing a lot of clothes, which, in hindsight, seems odd—he had a big heavy jacket and trousers, not something you’d expect for a British tourist abroad.”

At 9:30 PM, Matthew Oldfield offered to check on the McCann children during his own routine visit. He stepped into the apartment, noted that the room seemed quiet, and the twins were sleeping soundly. But he didn’t look directly at Madeleine’s bed. Everything seemed fine—so he left.

It wasn’t until 10:00 PM that the nightmare began.

Kate McCann entered the apartment and made a discovery that would send shockwaves around the world. The bedroom window was open. The shutter raised from the outside. A cold draft slipped through the room.

Madeleine was gone.

What followed was chaos: a desperate search, shouts echoing through the night. Hotel staff alerted guests, who poured into the streets. But in the confusion, crucial mistakes were made.

Police were called—but the apartment was never sealed. Strangers entered and exited freely. Evidence was moved. The window was touched. Any trace of a clean crime scene dissolved within hours.