Contrary to online posts, London’s Metropolitan Police is investigating Madeleine McCann’s disappearance and Britain’s Home Office (interior ministry) is funding the operation, a spokesperson for the police said.
McCann, a 3-year-old British girl, disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, sparking a massive search that caught global media attention. German authorities identified a suspect in 2020, who has denied responsibility.

Portuguese and German police conducted a search between June 3 and 5 this year in Portugal’s southern Algarve region for new evidence related to her disappearance.
A video shared on social media, opens new tab in early June shows a person stating that the Metropolitan Police is not conducting an investigation of the McCann case 18 years after Madeleine’s disappearance despite receiving ÂŁ100,000 ($134,920) for that purpose from the British government.

Reuters Image

Reuters Image
The Met Police said in an email to Reuters that it had received funding from the Home Office for its involvement in the McCann case, known as Operation Grange, opens new tab, for the financial year 2025/2026.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, who oversees the British investigation into McCann’s disappearance, said: “The Met’s investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been active since 2011. A dedicated team has always been assigned to the case, to try to understand what happened on the night of Thursday, 3 May, 2007.”
The Met Police was not present for the latest searches carried out in Portugal but said it would support international colleagues where necessary.
Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited, opens new tab, which has McCann’s parents among its directors, did not respond to requests for comment.
The minister of state at the Home Office, Lord Hanson of Flint, told parliament in February, opens new tab: “Special Grant funding of up to ÂŁ192,000 was agreed for provision to the Metropolitan Police Service for the costs of Operation Grange in financial year 2024/25. In-year costs will not be available until after the conclusion of the current financial year.”

Hanson said the Home Office reviews the funding annually, and the department liaises regularly with the Operation Grange investigation team to discuss progress and the use of funds.
The total expenditure to date since 2011 for Operation Grange, including financial year 2023/24, is ÂŁ13.2 million, he added in the statement earlier this year.
The Home Office declined to comment.