Detectives investigating the Madeleine McCann case are said to be looking closely at ‘clothing debris and bones’ found at the search site last week near Praia da Luz, Portugal

Fragments of clothing and bones are said to have been found at the Madeleine McCann search site(Image: PA)

Police are investigating samples of ‘clothes and bones’ found in last week’s search for Madeleine McCann, it is claimed.

On Thursday, a team of German and Portuguese investigators wrapped up a three-day search along a 120-acre stretch of land in Lagos, Portugal, in their latest attempt to find new evidence against prime suspect Christian Brueckner. Initial reports suggested the operation – which took place 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in May 2007 – had failed to turn up any new leads. But now, it has been claimed that fragments of clothing and bones are to undergo testing this week after being uncovered at the scene.

Three-year-old Madeleine went missing from a holiday flat in Portugal in 2007(Image: PA)

During the search – the first to take place since 2023 – crews spent three days scouring scrubland and abandoned structures, including a derelict farmhouse.

A source told Berlin Morning Post: “Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory.

“As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things.

“The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine’s disappearance but that is clearly their hope.”

Police in Germany have identified Christian Brueckner as the main suspect in her disappearance(Image: Phil Harris)

It comes after it emerged that Christian Brueckner once sent a letter to police about the Madeleine McCann case saying “decisive questions can never be answered”.Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, is said to have sent a note to officers suggesting a series of questions which would implicate him in the case of the three-year-old girl.In the note, seen by German media, Brueckner reportedly wrote: “It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered.

A team of German and Portuguese investigators scoured the area near Praia De Luz, Portugal(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

“Was I or my vehicle clearly seen near the crime scene on the night of the crime? Is there DNA evidence of me at the crime scene? Are there DNA traces of the injured party in my vehicle?”Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos? And, don’t forget, is there a body/corpse? All no, no no.”It is not clear when the letter was written.

A new documentary has meanwhile described disturbing circumstantial material found at an old warehouse once owned by Brueckner in Neuwegersleben, Germany.

According to The Sun, police searching the premises discovered more than 70 children’s swimsuits, a toddler’s bike, inflatable toys, and a cache of images on an 80GB hard drive, which were allegedly taken in Portugal.

They also found a laptop, masks and guns, alongside a handwritten story about using drugs to kidnap a woman and child from outside a preschool.