MADELEINE MCCANN is believed to have died according to German police with Christian Bthe prime suspect.

The German sex offender – who is currently serving time in prison for drug offences – is being investigated for Maddie's disappearance during her family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.

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Who is Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B?

Metropolitan Police took over the investigation – known as Operation Grange – in 2011.

But they had hit several dead ends in the hunt to find the truth behind what happened to Madeleine in 2007.

However, new findings have revealed that a German prisoner is a "significant" suspect in the disappearance of the then toddler.

He has now been unmasked as 43-year-old drifter “Christian B”.

He is a prolific burglar, who has previous convictions for sex crimes against young girls.

We cannot reveal his full identity due to Germany privacy laws.

The suspect was born in Germany in 1976 but moved to Portugal in his late teens.

The paedo has been described as being white with short blond hair and of slim build at around 6ft tall.

The suspect – who was 30 at the time of Madeleine's disappearance – has twice been convicted for sex crimes against young girls.

German police claim to have "concrete evidence" that Maddie is dead, sending a letter to her parents.

They believe he initially planned to rob the holiday apartment before he "moved on to a sexual motive".

On January 18, it was reported a team working on a documentary about Madeline have handed over fresh evidence against him. 

They claim they have proof showing Christian B was near Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished while her mum and dad dined in a tapas restaurant.

The doc team from Sat.1, made up of ex-investigators and journalists, claim they collected “many new clues and indications” Christian was behind her disappearance.

Editor-in-chief Juliane Ebling said they have “shocking material” in Germany, Portugal and England over the past months, which heavily incriminates Christian B.

How was the suspect identified?

The prime suspect was already known to British and Portuguese police in relation to Madeleine's disappearance in Praia da Luz.

Yet, the recent information came from a witness who stepped forward following the appeal by the Met Police on the tenth anniversary in 2017.

The suspect – who is 43 now – is believed to have been leading a "transient lifestyle" at the time, as he travelled between Portugal and Germany.

It is believed he was living in the Iberian nation between 1995 and 2007 working in the food industry.

The man is known to have been in the area at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, having taken a 30-minute phone call an hour before she went missing.

What other cases has Christian B been linked to?

Christian B has been linked with the disappearances of several children over the past 25 years, including that of a six-year-old boy in Portugal in 1996 and a five-year-old girl in Germany in 2015.

Authorities in Belgium have also linked him to the murder of missing 16-year-old Carola Titze, who disappeared while on holiday in De Haan on July 5, 1996.

Her severely mutilated body was discovered among the sand dunes on July 11. 

Christian B has also been associated with the missing person’s case of Inga Gehricke.

The child disappeared during a family outing in Saxony-Anhalt on May 2, 2015.

The father of missing six-year-old René Hasee, who disappeared on June 21, 1996 while on vacation with his family in Aljezur, Portugal – roughly 40km from Praia da Luz – has also claimed his son's case has been reopened by police. 

Christian B has also been linked with the disappearance of Jair Soares, a seven-year-old who vanished in August 1995.

Meanwhile, Peggy Knobloch's disappearance has also been linked back to the German paedo, after she went missing in May 2001.

And Christian B is now being investigated over the rape and murder of 13-year-old German boy Tristan Brübach.

Why is Christian B in prison in Germany?

He is currently in a German prison, serving a sentence for drug offences.

Christian B was convicted of raping of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal in 2005, but is understood to be appealing the charge.

The suspect is believed to have a total of 17 convictions, including burglary – with German Federal Crime Agency (BKA) director Christian Hoppe claiming he is known for stealing from hotels and holiday apartments.

German police – who are treating the case as a murder inquiry – believe he initially planned to rob the holiday apartment before he "moved on to a sexual motive".

LATEST ON MADELEINE

Scotland Yard also revealed that a 1980s VW T3 Westphalia white campervan has been linked to the suspect, and was seen in Praia da Luz days before she vanished.

He is also believed to have been living in it in the days and weeks before and after the disappearance.

A 1993 Jaguar XJR6 has also been connected to the German sex offender, with one of the two vehicles believed to have been used the kidnapping of Madeleine.

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