The bombshell announcement comes as Madeleine McCann vanished almost 20 years ago in May

Madeleine went missing in 2007(Image: PA)

The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has taken a turn as it enters its 15th year. The three-year-old vanished from her bed in May 2007.

A Metropolitan Police specialist operation dubbed Operation Grange was sparked in 2011 to solve the Madeleine McCann case. The disappearance of the youngster shook the world after she vanished from the holiday apartment she was staying with her family in Praia de Luz in the Algarve, Portugal. The 19th anniversary of her disappearance will fall on May 3, reports The Express.

To date, the operation has cost more than £10m. However, this year, funding has taken a notable drop by around a fifth, falling to £86,000 for 2026/27 from the £108,000 allocated the year prior.

Madeleine vanished from her bed while on holiday(Image: PA)

Home Office ministers approved the request to extend funding for the probe this year, taking the total cost of the inquiry to around £13.3 million since it was launched in 2011.

But the case continues to centre on prime suspect Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist who was released from prison in Germany last September. He has never been charged with any offences linked to Madeleine’s disappearance.

Operation Grange is now made up of three police officers and one member of staff working on a part-time basis.

The investigation began as an “investigative review” before being upgraded to a full inquiry in July 2013, allowing detectives to pursue new lines of enquiry alongside Portuguese and German authorities.

Detectives initially drew up a list of around 60 persons of interest, 38 of whom were investigated, although Portuguese authorities only permitted searches at one of three sites requested by British police.

In 2024, Detective Constable Mark Draycott told Brueckner’s trial he had taken a call from a man named Helge Busching, who identified Brueckner as a suspect in the case.

Christian Brueckner remains a suspect(Image: Phil Harris)

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said last year that Brueckner “remains a suspect for us”.

The decision to continue funding has drawn criticism from some quarters. Retired Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley said families of other missing children could be “angry” at the move.

He said: “There will be parents of other missing children reading this and asking why the investigation into their child’s disappearance has not had the same level of funding and attention.

“There’s possible confusion among them as to why there is still a dedicated team of officers looking at this. I can see why they would be angry when their child’s case has not had the same level of resources.

“You have to ask, what have these millions achieved? The answer, sadly, is nothing.”

However, another source said Madeleine’s family would welcome the extension.

They said: “The family will be pleased that the funding has been granted for another year. They have always had high hopes Maddie will be found.

“Fifteen years since Grange launched, they still hope and pray for positive news.”

A Home Office source described Operation Grange as an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police.

The case remains a missing persons investigation.