A creepy hidden cellar was found Wednesday at the former home of a man German police suspect may have murdered Madeleine McCann, a 3-year-old British girl who disappeared in 2007.
Authorities searched a garden plot on the outskirts of Hanover in northern Germany for the third day in a row, using dogs, digging up the area, and pitching a tent over the plot as they dig deeper into the ground. German police apparently found the cellar after digging a hole 50-foot wide in the garden of the hidden cottage, according to reports by Sky News.
McCann was just 3-years-old when she went missing from an apartment in the seaside town of Praia da Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region, where her family was vacationing. Her case has gained worldwide attention over the years.
(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The suspect, who has only been identified as Christian B. by German media outlets, apparently spent several years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz around the time of McCann’s disappearance. He was a known transient with a checkered past.
One theory that police have is that ‘Christian B.’ kidnapped McCann and drove to his home – over 24-hours away, in Germany. Investigators have linked him to a camper van seen in the Algarve region in 2007 and he was believed to be at the resort on the day McCann was taken.
Authorities started looking at him strongly about a month ago. The 43-year-old is currently in prison, in Germany.
(Photo by Handout/Getty Images)
McCann’s parents told authorities their daughter disappeared after they had left her and her twin siblings asleep in their holiday complex while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant.
“All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice,” Kate and Gerry McCann said in a statement in June, according to Sky News. “We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace.”
After three days of searching, authorities cleaned up the area, removed digging equipment and took down the tent covering the dig sight. It is unclear if authorities found what they were looking for.