A former associate of Christian Brueckner has confessed to alerting law enforcement to the location that authorities searched a couple of years ago. In 2023, Elke Piro triggered a significant search effort at the Arade Dam in Portugal, where police were looking for Madeleine McCann’s remains. Despite an extensive operation involving canine units, drones, and hundreds of officers, no evidence of the missing girl was found at the site.
The 48-year-old convicted sex offender reportedly frequented the remote area near the dam, spending extended periods alone in his VW camper van. Elke, 69, and her husband Bernhard, 72, had known Brueckner for some time but distanced themselves from him after learning about his disturbing past. The couple last interacted with him in 2018, allowing him to stay in his van at their residence in the Algarve.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Elke revealed that Brueckner cherished the lakeside vicinity near the dam, referring to it as his “special place.” She disclosed that he often vanished for days and mentioned being at the Arade Dam when asked about his whereabouts. Elke informed the police about his attachment to the location, leading them to search the exact spot he described.
British authorities recently traveled to Portugal covertly to interrogate Elke and her husband about their association with Brueckner. The couple, who sheltered the sex offender shortly before Madeleine’s disappearance in 2007, were questioned as witnesses in Faro. Meanwhile, Brueckner has been relocated to a different facility in Germany following his release from a seven-year imprisonment for assaulting an elderly woman in the same area where Madeleine vanished.
Elke, a German citizen, firmly believes that Brueckner was involved in harming Madeleine. She expressed frustration at the situation, emphasizing her willingness to assist in bringing him to trial in the UK. Elke stated her readiness to cooperate with authorities and provide testimony if necessary.