A woman in Poland has gone viral after creating an Instagram account on which she claimed she believes she could be missing girl Madeleine McCann.
Julia Wendell, a 21 year old woman, said she overheard something her grandmother said which led her to believe she may be McCann. She also claimed to have a speck in her eye and freckle on her leg that matched with the missing girl.
Wendell created an Instagram account last month named @iammadeleinemcann and began posting TikToks which gained attention over the internet. She has now deleted both accounts.
Her Instagram gained over one million followers and her TikTok account led many people sharing their opinions about the case on the platform. The TikToks and Instagram posts showed her presenting photos comparing her to the missing girl and pointing out similar features.
Her Instagram bio stated “I think I can be Madeleine. I need a DNA test. Police investigators from the UK and Poland try to ignore me. I will tell my story in posts here. Help me.”
I need a DNA test. Police investigators from the UK and Poland try to ignore me. I will tell my story in posts here. Help me.
Wendell has also claimed that although she does not remember being taken, she doesn’t have many memories of her childhood at all.
McCann went missing during a family holiday to Portugal in 2007 at the age of three. This would make her 19 now, two years older than Wendell however she believes her age may be incorrect.
She alleges that she has been in contact with the McCanns and will be undertaking a DNA test. The family has not yet confirmed whether they have agreed to this DNA testing yet.
A source close to the McCann’s said “The family are taking no chances, they are willing to look at all leads. It is important they look at all of the factors, the girl does look similar. There’s no disputing that.”
Wendell’s family have declined her request for them to take a DNA test which could confirm if she is biologically related to her family.
Francisco Marco, the private investigator who initially led the investigation into McCann’s disappearance, has broken his silence in regards to the claims. “Without knowing the details in depth, it doesn’t add up to me. I don’t think it’s her’’ he told the Spanish newspaper El Independiente.
Despite these claims, German police confirmed in June of 2020 that McCann had died and that they were now treating the case as a murder. The police reportedly contacted her parents to inform them that they had evidence she was no longer alive.
The German police believe she was killed by a known sexual predator, Christian Brueckner, however he has continued to deny any involvement in the girl’s disappearance. The German police do not have enough evidence to prove that he is guilty.