A previously overlooked witness statement included in newly unsealed Jeffrey Epstein-related court documents has reignited speculation about a possible, though unproven, link to the long-unsolved disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The document, part of the extensive records released by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with Epstein’s prosecution and Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 conviction, contains a single, isolated tip from a UK-based individual who contacted the FBI in 2020. The witness described a sighting from September 2009 of a woman resembling Maxwell walking hand-in-hand with a young girl who appeared to match Madeleine’s description at the age she would have been two years after vanishing in 2007.

Madeleine McCann, then three years old, disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on the evening of May 3, 2007, while her parents dined nearby with friends. The case became one of the most high-profile missing-child investigations in modern history, generating global media coverage, millions in rewards, and countless theories. Despite extensive searches, international appeals, and multiple suspects—including the current prime suspect Christian Brückner—no one has been convicted, and Madeleine has never been found.

The witness statement, dated 2020 and redacted to protect the tipster’s identity, recounts an incident from 2009. The individual claimed they were walking home from a shop when they observed a middle-aged man walking ahead, followed by a woman who “looked just like Ghislaine Maxwell” holding the hand of a girl approximately six years old. The child repeatedly placed her hand over her right eye and kept looking back, behavior that struck the witness because Madeleine has a distinctive coloboma (a keyhole-shaped defect) in her right iris, a detail widely publicized in missing posters. The witness noted the woman seemed uncomfortable being observed and hurried the child along.

At the time of the sighting, the witness did not connect it to Madeleine and did not report it to authorities. Years later, while browsing social media discussions about Maxwell—Epstein’s longtime associate convicted of sex trafficking minors—and online theories linking her to Madeleine’s disappearance, the individual remembered the encounter. They first reported it to local police, then forwarded the information to the FBI, stating: “Didn’t think about it for years till saw the Fb post about Ghislaine Maxwell, and the theory of her taking Madeline McCann. The woman I saw looked just like Ghislaine Maxwell. I reported the sighting to the police but thought I would report it to you as well.”

The FBI documented the tip but has never publicly confirmed any investigation stemming from it. British authorities, including the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Grange (the ongoing UK inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance), have consistently stated there is no credible evidence connecting Epstein, Maxwell, or their network to the case. Portuguese police, who lead the primary investigation, have similarly dismissed speculation, focusing instead on leads related to Brückner, a German national convicted of unrelated sex offenses who lived in the Algarve region at the time and whose phone records placed him near Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished.

The inclusion of the tip in the Epstein files appears incidental rather than substantive. The documents, totaling thousands of pages, stem from civil lawsuits against Maxwell and Epstein’s estate, as well as criminal proceedings. References to unrelated high-profile cases or public figures occasionally surface in such large releases due to broad discovery processes or tangential mentions in depositions and witness statements. Officials on both sides of the Atlantic have emphasized that the reference does not constitute verified evidence or establish any link between Madeleine’s disappearance and Epstein’s criminal activities.

Online reaction has been intense. Social media users circulated comparisons between Maxwell and a 2009 police e-fit (composite sketch) of a person of interest in Madeleine’s case, noting perceived resemblances in facial structure and hair. The e-fit, released by private investigators hired by the McCann family, depicted a woman seen behaving suspiciously near the apartment complex around the time of the disappearance. Critics of the theory point out timeline conflicts: Maxwell was reportedly in New York during May 2007, and no credible evidence places her in Portugal. The 2009 sighting, even if accurate, occurred two years later and involved a child who would have been significantly older than at the time of abduction.

The McCann family has maintained a dignified silence on conspiracy theories over the years, focusing instead on awareness campaigns and the official investigation. Kate and Gerry McCann have repeatedly stated their belief that Madeleine was abducted and remains alive, urging the public to report any credible sightings. Operation Grange, funded by the UK Home Office, continues to receive tips and review evidence, though progress has been slow.

The Epstein files’ mention of Madeleine serves as a stark reminder of how high-profile unsolved cases attract speculative links, especially when powerful figures like Maxwell are involved. While the witness tip was deemed serious enough to document, it remains uncorroborated and unlinked to any concrete development in either case. Authorities urge caution against misinformation that could hinder genuine leads.

Madeleine would now be 22 years old. Her image—smiling with the distinctive mark in her eye—remains one of the most recognizable in missing-persons history. The 2009 sighting, resurfacing nearly two decades later, adds another layer to a mystery that refuses to fade. Whether coincidence or something more, it underscores the enduring pain of an unresolved abduction and the hope that one credible piece of information could still bring answers.