Reported Madeleine McCann Suspect Died Four Years Ago

A reported suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance died in a tractor accident in 2009. Portuguese police are reportedly investigating a new lead involving a former employee of Ocean Club, where McCann disappeared.

Portugal’s Correio da Manha newspaper cited police sources in its report, which explained that the new line of inquiry focuses on an unnamed man who used to work at the complex where the child’s family stayed.

However, even if they are investigating him, they cannot speak to him, reports The Telegraph. The unnamed suspect passed away in a tractor accident in 2009 at the age of 40.

Madeleine McCann went missing on May 3, 2007 when she was almost four years old. Phone records reportedly showed that the suspect was in the vicinity of the holiday apartment around the time the toddler went missing.

However, the report said that he wasn’t on a list of current and former Ocean Club employees that the police received in their initial investigation. According to the paper, officers questioned the late suspect’s widow about their suspicions and are apparently conducting searches for the toddler’s body based on their new evidence.

The Toronto Sun notes that the supposed suspect was fired from the resort’s restaurant shortly before the girl went missing. He apparently had the ability to abduct Madeleine because he knew her parents’ routine and that they would dine late with friends.

While the Portuguese newspaper believed the man to be a suspect in the case, Clarence Mitchell, the McCann family’s spokesman, commented, “We are aware of reports in the Portuguese press. They are pure speculation and the McCanns are not going to give a running commentary on every new report.”

The Metropolitan Police team assigned to the girl’s case singled out 41 “persons of interest” in the case. So, while the man could be a suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, he is likely one of many.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]