According to a number of newspapers and websites in the UK, German prosecutors have written to the parents of Madeleine McCann, who went missing in Portugal aged three in 2007, to tell them that they know their daughter is dead. The family have not responded to the letter, say the prosecutors.

Prosecutors not revealing any further information

The prosecutors are not disclosing how they know Madeleine has died, arguing that if they reveal further information it could jeopardise their investigation into suspect Christian Brueckner. Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the German case, has also refused to share evidence with UK police.

As reported in the Daily Mail, Wolters said: "‘I sympathise with the parents but if we reveal more details to them it might jeopardise the investigation. We have concrete evidence that our suspect has killed Madeleine and this means she is dead."

According to Wolters their investigation into Brueckner and Madeleine McCann is a "murder case" not a missing persons case.

A spokesman for the McCann family said they would not be commenting on private correspondence.

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Suspect: Christian Brueckner

The suspect in the case, 43-year-old Christian Brueckner, is being held in a high security prison in northern Germany. Brueckner is a serial sex offender with a total of 17 different convictions.

Brueckner is believed to have rented a farmhouse half-an-hour away from the Algarve resort where Madeleine and her family were staying when she disappeared. Portuguese police were preparing to search wells at the property yesterday.

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According to a Spiegel Online report published on Friday, June 12, a police blunder led to Brueckner being informed he was being probed over the Madeleine McCann case as early as 2013.