Madeleine McCann Twist: Police Once Feared She Died in Hit-and-Run and Investigated German Woman

A German woman has revealed her shock at discovering police secretly investigated her over a theory that missing toddler Madeleine McCann died in a hit-and-run accident.

The woman, recently tracked down by Sky News after years of anonymity, had no idea she was considered a suspect in one of Britain's most infamous unsolved cases.

Speaking publicly for the first time, she described the moment Portuguese officers searched her home during the investigation into three-year-old Madeleine's disappearance in 2007.

The theory, which was actively explored by both Portuguese and British authorities, suggested that Madeleine had woken up, wandered out of her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, and was fatally struck by a vehicle.

This line of inquiry led investigators to her, who was living in the area at the time.

The Woman as Suspect

The unnamed German woman, who was working in a beachside restaurant near the McCanns' apartment, expressed shock upon learning that she had been considered a suspect.

'I don't even know if there was a car accident, because I was working,' she told Sky News. 'I came home at half ten, and my boyfriend was home already.' Her British partner, a chef at the Ocean Club resort, had reportedly served dinner to the McCanns and their friends the night Madeleine vanished.

The woman's flat, like many others in the vicinity, was searched by Portuguese police in the days following the disappearance. During a second search, she recalled being asked to empty her freezer and responded angrily: 'Do you think I've cut her up in little pieces and I'm going to have her for dinner?'

What We Know About The Night She Vanished

Madeleine McCann, aged three, disappeared on 3 May 2007 from the Ocean Club complex while her parents dined nearby.

The case triggered parallel efforts by Portuguese police, the Metropolitan Police's Operation Grange, and later German prosecutors.

Her whereabouts remain unknown; German authorities have said they have 'some evidence' she is deceased, though the UK inquiry continues to treat it as a missing-person case.

Why the Hit-and-Run Theory Fizzled Out

The hit-and-run theory was first leaked to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã in June, revealing that the investigation had stalled when German authorities declined to deploy an undercover officer to probe the woman further. The refusal reportedly led to the theory being abandoned, as attention shifted to another suspect.

Shortly thereafter, investigators turned their focus to Christian B, a German national currently imprisoned for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He has since been named the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance, though he denies any involvement and has not been formally charged.

A Case That Still Haunts

Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she vanished from her bed on the evening of 3 May 2007. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had left her and her siblings asleep in the apartment while dining nearby. The case has captivated global attention for nearly two decades, spawning countless theories, investigations, and media coverage.

Despite the exhaustive efforts of law enforcement agencies across Europe, Madeleine's whereabouts remain unknown. The resurfacing of the hit-and-run theory adds another layer of complexity to a case that continues to baffle investigators and the public alike.

The Lingering Questions

The German woman at the centre of the abandoned theory reiterated that she was contacted by German police more than a decade later, not to accuse her, but to ask if she had ever seen Christian B near the McCanns' apartment.

'They wanted to know if I ever saw this German bloke around this area where I was living for a long time. Other people obviously saw his van, but I never saw it,' she said. Her account raises questions about the transparency and communication between international law enforcement agencies during the investigation.

The hit-and-run theory may have been discarded, but it represents the lengths investigators have gone to solve a mystery that has captivated the world for eighteen years. For one German woman, it serves as a permanent reminder of how quickly ordinary lives can intersect with extraordinary tragedy.