DNA test proves woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann is not missing girl

Julia Wendell pictured next to Madeleine McCann. Credit: PA/YouTube

A Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann has become an internet sensation, despite her own parents slamming her claims as 'lies and manipulation'.

Appearing on US show Dr Phil, Julia Wendell stated that she suspected she was Madeleine McCann, despite having no proof to back up said claims.

The 21-year-old's parents have said her claims are fabricated and that it is 'obvious' she isn't the missing British girl.

Her claims have garnered a significant social media following which eventually forced her to flee her native Poland for the US after a number of death threats.

While in the US, she took a DNA test to learn more about her identity, and to see if she was in fact Madeleine McCann.

DNA results confirmed she wasn't the missing British girl, but instead showed that she is from Poland with some Lithuanian and Romanian heritage.

The 21-year-old, who would be two years older than Madeleine McCann, had come to the conclusion she was the missing girl after stating she does not remember large chunks of her childhood - or the moment she was supposedly taken.

She also claimed she had been abused by a German paedophile who matched the description of someone who was suspected in the McCann disappearance. Claims that have since been disputed by Polish police.

"She is absolutely 100 percent from Poland," Dr. Fia Johansson told RadarOnline.com.

"She is a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian but the test results show she is Polish."

Dr Johansson, who has power of attorney over Ms Wendell, said: "We learned a few things, one being that Julia’s mum is in fact now believed to be her mum, so she is not Madeleine McCann."

"They’re not 100% but they believe that Julia’s mum is in fact her mum. They’re questioning her father’s side. They’re checking into that, that’s part of what they’re doing with the DNA.

"But Julia’s mum is in fact her mum is what they’re believing and she is not in fact Madeleine McCann."

Madeleine McCann went missing after parents Kate and Gerry McCann left their children sleeping in an apartment while they went out for dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant in Portugal back in 2007.

When Kate returned to check on the children, she found that Madeleine was missing, sparking a major international investigation.

The parents have not yet made a statement regarding the claims.


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