Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she disappeared from a hotel room in Portugal while on holiday with her family back in 2007. The mystery of what happened to her hugely caught the public’s attention, with the investigation into her whereabouts being the subject of several documentaries, and still discussed today.
MORE: Madeleine McCann disappearance: a timeline of how events unfolded
So it is hardly surprising that a Polish woman, Julia Wendell, made headlines in 2023 after claiming that she believed herself to be Kate and Gerry McCann’s missing daughter. With a similar coloboma of the iris, and at a similar age to how old Maddie would be, her claims quickly went viral online as people speculated whether she could be telling the truth.
Julia’s claims swiftly took off on social media, as she shared side-by-side photos pointing out similarities including similar dimples and her iris. She soon found representation with Dr Fia Johansson, and conducted several interviews, including on the popular show Dr Phil.
However, all speculation about Julia’s origins swiftly concluded after a DNA test proved that she was actually Polish, with Julia telling Radar Online: “She is absolutely, 100 per cent from Poland… Julia’s mum is in fact her mum is what they’re believing and she is not in fact Madeleine McCann… Julia had all the birthmarks as Madeleine McCann which I believe is God and the universe’s way of wanting us to get close to the man who sexually abused her, expose him, and his possible ties to the McCann case."
“Although Julia is disappointed about this revelation and the spotlight may fade away, the truth as presented in the results speaks to perhaps an unwelcome new reality… I am glad she is safe and sound with her family, [which] she perhaps does not want. Her doctor of several years had prescribed medication, which she was not taking consistently.”
She added: “Julia – I wish you the best despite what you say. We had an eventful journey, but like all good things there is always an ending, sometimes happy and sometimes sad.”
Her family also released a statement which read: “For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step-niece. We have memories, we have pictures. We always tried to understand all the situations that happened with Julia.”
In January 2024, Julia, who is no longer on social media, gave an interview with the BBC where she reflected on the incident, saying: “I never meant to hurt anyone - including [the] McCanns. I really wanted to know who I am… I would never go on social media. It can destroy you.”
She added: “I apologised to the McCanns because I don't know them personally. I don't know if they were watching this journey, if they were sad or whatever. And I just wanted to say sorry. Because every person can react in a different way and maybe it brought them more sadness. I didn't want them to feel sad.”
Meanwhile, the investigation into Maddie’s disappearance is still ongoing, with German police searching a remote reservoir in Portugal back in May 2023 in connection to their investigation into their prime suspect, Christian Brueckner. Brueckner is currently in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area of the Algarve region from where Madeleine vanished.