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THE case of missing Emile Soleil that shocked the world has been filled with unexpected twists and turns.
The two-year-old vanished two years ago from a holiday home in France.
…
TO the world he is notorious as the prime suspect over the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
But after sitting in court and watching him for six months during his trial I can tell yo…
THE grandparents of missing Émile Soleil have been arrested on suspicion of murder in a shocking twist.
The two-year-old vanished two years ago while at his grandparent’s ho…
COPS are racing to charge the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case — to stop him walking free within two weeks.
Christian Brueckner, 48, is suspected of killing the three-year-old in Portugal in 2007.
Christian Brueckner is suspected of killing Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007[/caption]
Maddie’s parents Gerry and Kate McCann are still seeking answers[/caption]
He is seeking early release from a 2019 jail term for a rape at the same resort.
Investigators panicked by the surprise acquittal of Brueckner over the rape charges last year are readying for D-day on the Madeleine case.
Madeleine case witnesses have been called to secret meetings to prepare for the eventuality of charges being brought against the German national.
A source close to the case in Germany said: “Normally a move like his bid for an early release would be laughed out of court.
“But everyone is very nervous after what happened with his rape trial last year.
“The court was surprisingly favourable to him.
“Brueckner’s lawyers know they need to go for this now, in case an appeal against his acquittal is allowed.
“That will create a new arrest warrant and he’ll be stuck behind bars.
“Madeleine prosecutors still have firepower they can rely on — but they are nervous.
“As soon as Brueckner is free he will disappear and likely never be seen again.
“We’ve seen it time and time again over the years with other offences — and even his own lawyers have said it.
“He cannot be released.
“That would mean disaster for the McCann case and parents Gerry and Kate.
“That is why prosecutors are making their preparations.
“Charging over Madeleine would be the only ace left up their sleeve for keeping Christian B behind bars.
“Let’s hope they don’t need it.”
In October a German court cleared Brueckner of unrelated rape and sex abuse offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
But in 2019 he was sentenced to seven years in jail for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
It is that sentence that keeps him behind bars currently and which runs out in September.
A court is currently considering an appeal against the acquittal, which could yet see him face a retrial.
His lawyers are trying to get him released now, before the appeal decision can be made.
Such a move would normally be considered to have no chance, but prosecutors are unsure what the court’s decision might be.
The apartment complex where Maddie went missing[/caption]
If a court decides to free Brueckner, Madeleine lawyers will appeal against the decision.
That could delay any release by a few months.
However, if that appeal is denied the only option they will have left is to charge over Madeleine, who disappeared on May 3, 2007, also in Praia da Luz.
That would grant a new arrest warrant, which they could use for keeping the suspect behind bars.
It would also allow time for their current appeal to run its course in the hope that will see Brueckner face a retrial over a series of attack claims.
The Penal Enforcement Chamber in Germany will rule on the early release application, which will be heard in private.
Any appeal on that decision would be transferred to the court in Celle, Germany.
Madeleine charges would not mean immediate answers on what happened to her.
Under German law the contents of case files cannot be released before a trial.
But Brueckner’s team will be handed the full evidence file for the first time within a matter of months of any charges.
The file is said to run to thousands of pages.
Madeleine prosecutors still have firepower they can rely on — but they are nervous.
Source
Brueckner was named prime suspect in 2020.
Police said a call was made to his number on May 3 — placing his phone in Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished.
They have appealed for information on a Jaguar XJ6 and white camper van the suspect is understood to have driven on the Algarve.
They claim to have physical evidence that Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics, is dead but no forensic evidence.
Brueckner was also named to cops by petty crook and associate Helge B in 201.
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 – and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearance.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31, 2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
March 11, 2017 – The Home Office grants Operation Grange an extra £85,000 to continue from April until September
September 28, 2017 – British police are granted £154,000 to keep the probe going until March 2018
November 2017 – Cops moved the search to Bulgaria
May 2018 – Another round of funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
September 2018 – An extra six months of funding is requested from the Home Office
November 2018 – More funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
November 2018 – UK police re-examine a theory Madeleine left the apartment to look for her parents
June 2019 – Another round of funding, believed to be £300,000 of government cash is granted
June 2019 – Portuguese police are probing a “new clue and suspect” after talks with British officers
June 2020 – New prime suspect revealed as a German paedo Christian Brueckner
April 2022 – Brueckner formally made an “arguido”
May 2023 – Police search remote Algarve reservoir Brueckner called his “little paradise”
Helge B claims they were at a 2008 festival in Spain when Brueckner all but confessed, saying to his pal: “She didn’t scream.”
Detectives in Germany say they have additional witnesses but have given no clues on who they are or what they know.
Officers searched Portugal’s Arade Dam and took soil samples in 2023 but did not confirm what they were searching for.
German prosecutors confirmed a hearing on Brueckner was pending.
They declined to comment further.
MET Police and Home Office chiefs are in talks for additional funding for Operation Grange — the UK department that investigates the McCann case.
Last year it received £192,000 from the Home Office, part of £13.2million spent by taxpayers in total.
The new application is to fund a detective chief inspector, two detective constables and one part-time police staffer.
German sources urged the Government to continue the funding.
A source said: “The involvement of the British could still prove crucial so of course we want to see the funding continue.
“We are at a crucial time and Operation Grange could still play a huge part.”
DCI Mark Cranwell, who oversees the operation, said: “We continue to support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened that evening.
“Our thoughts remain with the family.”
BEAMING in her bright yellow uniform on a Disney cruise ship, the world was very much Rebecca Coriam’s oyster.
But just a day after setting sail from LA, the adventurous 24-year-old vanished from the ship.
Rebecca was working on the Disney cruise ship Wonder when she vanished[/caption]
Her body has never been found in the 14 years since.
Haunting CCTV showed Rebecca looking distressed and on the phone in the early hours of March 22, 2011.
It was the final time the childhood studies graduate was seen and 14 years on, no one knows what happened to Rebecca.
Chilling theories of murder and suicide remain at the forefront of the mystery.
The ship’s captain blamed a rogue wave for sweeping Rebecca into the sea off the coast of Mexico.
But experts say his account simply doesn’t add up as such a huge wave would have unquestionably have caused damage and been logged.
Rebecca’s disappearance is littered with inconsistencies and unanswered questions sparked by a “seriously flawed” probe.
Former Commander of Specialist Operations at Scotland Yard Roy Ramm, now a private investigator who dug into the case, believes her disappearance was at the centre of a cover-up.
He told The Sun: “Somebody on that vessel was unquestionably responsible for her death.”
An initial investigation was done by a lone Bahamian police officer who flew in from 1,500 miles away.
The superintendent arrived on Friday, March 25 and spent less than 36 on board before concluding Rebecca’s disappearance was “not suspicious”.
Just a handful of crew members were quizzed and there was no forensic examination.
Ramm, who looked into Rebecca’s disappearance, said the probe was inadequate.
He added the case would have “unquestionably” been solved if it wasn’t for the initial series of failures.
The ex-Met sleuth said: “They chose to fly in an investigator from the Bahamas, where the ship is registered, and where there is a very keen financial interest in looking after Disney as a valued contributor to Bahamian economy.
“What they should have done was called in more experienced investigators, maybe from the FBI, from LA where the ship was heading, or even pulling into a port in Mexico and bringing somebody on board.
“But what it appeared to me was that their main objective was to keep the ship on schedule rather than having their primary concern of investigating the crime.
“So one guy came in board the ship, a detective superintendent, and he came on board on his own. He had no forensic support.
“He conducted his investigation within realistically 36 hours, including sleep, and his interviews with witnesses were perfunctory. None of that paperwork has ever been released to the family.
Rebecca started working for Disney cruises in 2010[/caption]
“There were freedom of information requests sent to the chief constable of the force where the Coriams lived, and they refused to release the material.
“This is not a state secret. This is a young woman who has disappeared in really distressing circumstances on board a cruise vessel.
“[It was a] very, very poor investigation. Quickly done, inadequate forensic examination. It was just terrible.”
Rebecca, from Chester, landed her job with Disney cruises in 2010 as part of their youth team to help keep kids entertained.
As the ship Wonder sailed through Mexican waters, near Puerto Vallarta, Rebecca vanished.
The alarm was raised after Rebecca failed to turn up to her shift at 9am and a tannoy request calling for her was met with silence.
A search of the ship came up blanks and the US Coastguard and Mexican Navy were enlisted to search the waters.
After receiving a devastating phone call late at night to say their daughter was missing, Mike and Ann Coriam flew to Los Angeles.
They were assured Rebecca had tragically fallen to her death from the fifth deck, and were told her flip-flops were found nearby.
This is not a state secret. This is a young woman who has disappeared in really distressing circumstances on board a cruise vessel.
Roy Ramm
The ship’s captain initially claimed Rebecca must have been washed overboard by a freak wave.
Ramm dismissed this theory – pointing out how such a large wave would have undoubtedly caused damage.
“This is a massive cruise ship, she was way up,” he said.
“And the captain said he thought she’d been washed off by a freak wave.
“Well, it must have been some kind of freak wave that washed her off and left her flip-flops behind.
“Also a wave of that magnitude would have rocked the vessel.
“There would have been breakages, but there was nothing in the ship’s log about this. There’s so much about it that’s completely unsatisfactory.”
Final footage of Rebecca from the ship’s CCTV showed her looking distressed at 5.45am on the morning of her disappearance.
She could be seen on an internal phone on the first deck wearing what looked like men’s clothes.
2. Why is there no CCTV of Rebecca falling off the ship?
3. Captain said a freak wave must have washed Rebecca overboard from Deck 5, 90ft above the sea. Deck sides are metal and 6ft high so a wave would have to be more than 100ft high. No freak waves were reported in the area.
4. Could the ship have turned around to look for Rebecca? The Mexican coastguard was called out but allegedly searched the wrong area. With survival times at 14 hours, could she have been found?
5. Why did the Bahamas government offer to hold the coroner’s inquest in secret?
Ramm believes this is a key piece of evidence – and something that made Rebecca so distraught could have led to her death.
He said: “I think one thing is [there] is no doubt she was definitely sexually assaulted.
“She wasn’t wearing her own clothing. Clothing was ripped and torn off.
“Whether she was then thrown off the vessel because the person that did it feared she would report him, or whether she was so distressed by what happened to her she decided to end her own life.
“But somebody on that vessel was unquestionably responsible for her death.
“In fact, I think even the Bahamian investigator made a comment that if this one particular person had not been on the ship she would have still been alive.”
Rebecca’s parents were skeptical of claims Rebecca was swept off the ship by a large wave at the crew pool, given a 6ft tall wall surrounded it.
They feared their beloved daughter was thrown overboard and murdered.
Flip-flops claimed to be Rebecca’s were found to have someone else’s name written on them, adding to their suspicion.
Rebecca’s parents settled a lawsuit against Disney out of court in 2016.
Ramm said: “There were people on board that vessel who knew much more than was ever revealed at the time through the investigation – whether Rebecca actually threw herself off that vessel, or whether she was pushed, whether she was encouraged.
“I think frankly the whole company was involved in a cover-up.”
Disney did not respond to The Sun’s comment request.
A HEARTBROKEN mum whose British son has been missing in Italy since July last year says she feels “completely let down” by cops.
Michael Frison, from Chard, Somerset, went missing in Sardinia on July 13, 2024, the day he was originally due to return to the UK.
Niomi Orlandini and Michael met online and later joined him in Sardinia[/caption]
He had extended his trip to stay with Jersey citizen Niomi Orlandini for an extra week, after she travelled to join him on his holiday.
Following his disappearance, Niomi, the last person to see him alive, went off the radar after a catalogue of Italian police blunders.
Michael’s devastated mum, Cristina Pittalis, 49, says she now “relates” to Jay Slater’s mum Debbie Duncan – as the search for her son passes 250 days.
Italian cops have since launched a criminal probe following Michael’s disappearance, but have had limited contact with his mum.
Cristina explained that Michael flew from Bristol Airport to Olbia on July 2, before driving to his grandparents’ home in Sassari to celebrate his 25th birthday and his grandma’s 70th.
Niomi, 27, who Cristina says met her son online in July 2023, asked to join him on the trip, which he agreed to, and he cancelled his return trip to the UK, scheduled for July 13, to stay with her for an extra week.
Michael was allegedly told by Niomi that her father was due to join her in Sardinia the following week, and he didn’t feel it was right to leave her alone, given she had nowhere to stay.
Sardinian-born Cristina, told The Sun: “They only met in person once before she asked Michael if she could join him in Sardinia while he was with his grandparents.
“He was really happy to be there and was celebrating his 25th and his grandma’s 70th – but his demeanour changed when she arrived.
“He wasn’t as chatty or smiley when she arrived. He was always in contact with me almost on a daily basis.”
“She asked Michael if he could stay with her and he said to me ‘Mum I will stay a bit longer and will keep her company until her dad arrives in Sardinia’”, she added.
According to Cristina, the pair left Michael’s grandparents’ home on July 12, and went to “volunteer on a nascent farm in the Gallura hinterland”, where they would work in exchange for food and accommodation.
The farm is located in Luras, a barren and remote area that the mum-of-two said is surrounded by “rugged terrain and deep vegetation” which is where Michael was last seen.
She added that the trip there from her parent’s home was about 70 miles.
The pair arrived at the farm, owned by a German couple, on the same day they left, staying in a tent about “100 metres away” from the owners, who were in a camper van.
Cristina said that was the last time she heard from him: “He texted me saying he was going to sleep and that he’d call me tomorrow – around 8pm he sent that. He ended it with ‘I [love emoji] you.”
The search for Michael was called off after just two weeks[/caption]
On July 14, two days after last hearing from her son, she received a Facebook message from the landowner’s account — written by Niomi — telling her to contact the landowner.
Cristina said: “She said to call a number that belonged to this man.
“She said Michael went for a walk in the morning of the 13th and returned in a confused state of mind possibly due to heatstroke.
“After resting he ventured out again and did not return.
“She found his clothes but personal belongings were all left behind.”
“They didn’t raise the alarm, didn’t call an ambulance when he was unwell, didn’t call the police, didn’t even call nearby people,” the devastated mother continued.
“It’s a very remote area and imperious terrain.
“The first thing I would have done was gone to a nearby neighbour and say my friend was unwell.
“But they didn’t raise an alarm. Not cared about his safety – it’s very sinister.”
Cristina, who was widowed several years ago, quickly flew out to assist the search for her son, who she described as “a kind and truly special soul”.
But she felt frustrated about the lack of clarity she received from Niomi and the landowner, with her “gut feeling as a mum” telling her something untoward had happened to her son.
She said: “I flew out to Sardinia and realised what was going on – their story was that my son essentially left the place wearing only his pants. She said he was barefoot — it’s impossible!
“It’s dry and imperious land full of stones and dry vegetation. It’s difficult to move with no shoes.”
The search for Michael began around 6pm on July 14, with fire service crews and volunteers springing into action, though cops didn’t get involved until July 19.
It’s destroyed our lives – I’m going through an unimaginable mix of emotions.
Cristina Pittalis
This left Cristina “frustrated” given the closing window of opportunity to gather evidence.
She said she even had to preserve her own son’s belongings in a bag for evidence to preserve any potential forensic evidence.
The search was called off after just two weeks.
Cristina said she feels “let down” by Sardinian authorities following multiple police blunders that could have hindered the case.
This included advice she gave them from British police to withhold the passport of Niomi, who also has links to Thailand, in order to further their enquiries.
The Italian-born mother told The Sun: “I really wish the British authorities were involved – I feel completely let down by my own nation.
Cristina revealed her devastation when speaking to The Sun about her son’s unexplained disappearance[/caption]
Michael had been in Sardinia celebrating his birthday with his Italian grandparents[/caption]
“I can’t even imagine how Jay Slater’s mum would have felt when her son went missing and she couldn’t communicate in Spanish.
“I can communicate with the police and they have done absolutely nothing — they have been useless.
“British police told me to refer the message to the Italian authorities to keep Niomi’s passport – not only did they not do it, but they got offended and said they knew how to do their job.
“Italian police haven’t contacted me since – they don’t tell me anything, I’m being kept in the dark.
“We don’t have a family liaison officer or anything.”
The crucial passport error may have allowed Niomi to vanish with a raft of questions left unanswered.
Cristina said: “Niomi has not had contact with her sisters since leaving – they keep telling me she is a lovely girl – but many people from Jersey have told me a completely different story.
“I’m not looking for a culprit, I’m looking for my son – I’m not accusing her of anything.
“But the fact she is not responding is quite mysterious and very strange.”
“Why is she not coming back to my multiple appeals? Why has she not text once?” she continued.
“Her mother is Thai so she was there a lot – I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s in Thailand now hiding somewhere. I know that she’s got family there.
“As a mum you can feel something is wrong – it’s a personal feeling – the attitude of Niomi and the landowner were a bit wary.
“I had a gut feeling – that something was off – the attitude has shown me that they’re not telling the truth.
“They know more than what they’re saying.”
Cristina, who lost her husband seven years ago and is now juggling the search for Michael with looking after her youngest son, 11, said she’s going through an “unimaginable mix of emotions”.
“It’s destroyed our lives – I’m going through an unimaginable mix of emotions,” she said.
“Not knowing where Michael is and what happened is unbearable.
“Feeling the worst and holding onto hope for the best – it’s an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
“I spent my entire life caring for him and now he needs me the most and I have no way of reaching him. I am powerless and the pain is excruciating.
“But I am determined to find him, even in my grief I will not stop fighting for him.
“The emotional and physical toll and constant worry. I am drained and I have no choice but I will keep on going.”
Cristina has “given up everything” to continue looking for her son, and has had to abandon her promising career in social work in order to dedicate her time to finding Michael.
She has even had to downsize her property to facilitate and fund the continued hunt for answers.
“I am leaving the house because I can’t afford to live here and balance going between here and Italy,” she said, adding that her second son is home educated and has developed separation anxiety.
She praised Michael as “such a kind and truly special soul” adding that “he feels so deeply not just for himself but for others – he notices when someone is struggling.
“He offers a kind word and a helping hand.”
A friend of Cristina set up a GoFundMe page to help find Michael.
At the time of writing, it has raised over £8,000 towards search efforts.
FEARS have grown for a 26-year-old British tourist who vanished after reportedly becoming trapped when a fire broke out on a boat off the coast of Thailand’s notorious “Death Island“.
A huge air and sea mission has resume…
A BRITISH holidaymaker has been reported missing after a fire broke out on a tourist boat off the coast of Thailand’s notorious ‘Death Island’.
She was reportedly using the toilet when a blaze erupted from the engine of t…
A MISSING surfer has been presumed dead after drone footage captured him in a horrific shark attack.
Steven Jeffrey Payne, 37, from Melbourne, was last seen by crowds witnesses du…
ELEVEN years ago today, Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur Airport bound for Beijing with 239 passengers onboard.
Eerie footage from airport cameras …