A handwritten confession letter postmarked from Morocco has sent shockwaves through both British and Portuguese investigative teams working on the Madeleine McCann case, after it contained a hand-drawn map leading to a site explicitly mentioned in early case files from 2007.
The letter, written by an unidentified man claiming to have “information no one ever followed up on,” was received by a journalist in Lisbon two weeks ago and immediately turned over to police.
Forensic experts have confirmed the paper and ink originated in North Africa, and that the author’s DNA is now under analysis by Interpol.
Inside the envelope was a rough map drawn in blue pen, marking a remote coastal area between Tangier and Asilah — an area that investigators say was referenced in witness statements from the original inquiry but never searched due to jurisdictional limits at the time.
According to sources close to the investigation, the author claimed that “a small structure near the dunes” was used as a temporary holding location for a young foreign child in the days following Madeleine’s disappearance.
“The details in the map match several coordinates logged in the original police archive,” a senior Portuguese investigator told reporters.
“We are treating this as credible until proven otherwise.”
The McCann family has been informed of the letter. A family representative described them as “deeply unsettled” but “hopeful that it could finally provide answers.”
Moroccan authorities have since dispatched a joint team with British liaison officers to the identified area, which includes abandoned coastal buildings and dune shelters dating back to the early 2000s.
Officials have not disclosed whether ground searches have begun, but insiders say satellite imagery and drone scans are already being conducted over the marked location.
“If this lead proves authentic,” an investigator added,
“it may rewrite what we thought we knew about Madeleine’s route after she disappeared.”
The confession letter is now being translated in full by specialists at Scotland Yard. Authorities expect to release a joint statement in the coming days.
