Portuguese detectives investigating new suspect in the Madeleine McCann case

Publish Date: Monday, 6 May 2019, 4:08PM

It's hard to believe, but last week marked 12 years since Madeleine McCann went missing.

And now, over a decade after her disappearance, police in Portugal are reportedly investigating a "new suspect" in the case.

A serial child killer dubbed the "masked man" has emerged as a key suspect in the search for the missing girl.

According to The Sun, Martin Ney from Germany was jailed for life in 2012 for abducting and murdering three children, and sexually abusing dozens more.

The Portuguese police officer who first led the hunt for Madeleine, Goncalo Amaral, has claimed that police are probing a "German paedophile who is in prison".

The publication is also reporting that Ney looks like a photofit of a man seen acting suspiciously before Madeleine vanished from her Praia da Luz holiday apartment on May 3, 2007.

The 48-year-old was said to have been familiar with the Algarve coast after travelling widely in Portugal in the 1990s.

Police investigations into the new suspect come just after the anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance.

On the Find Madeleine website, Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, wrote: "The months and years roll by too quickly; Madeleine will be sixteen this month. It’s impossible to put into words just how that makes us feel."

"There is comfort and reassurance though in knowing that the investigation continues and many people around the world remain vigilant."

"Thank you to everyone who continues to support us and for your ongoing hope and belief."

British police launched their own investigation, Operation Grange, in 2013 after a Portuguese inquiry failed to make progress.

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