London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 05, 2026

Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann receives DNA test results

Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann receives DNA test results

A woman who went viral after she claimed to be Madeleine McCann has carried out a DNA test.

Julia Wendell, 21, is convinced she is the missing child who vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.

She took to Instagram and Tiktok saying she could be the missing Brit due to similarities in their age and appearance.

Julia, from Poland, recently was interviewed on the Dr Phil show to expand on her claims.

Medical records, accessed by private investigator Dr Fia Johansson, were brought to light ahead of the segment.

She said that Julie had reportedly suffered a skull fracture as a child which had erased part of her memory.

The brain injury – which happened when she was eight – had initially left her unable to speak or walk.

Julia told Dr Phil: ‘I have some single memories since eight, nine years old.

Dr Fia Johansson (left) has been granted power of attorney over Julia Wendell

The 21-year-old believes she is Madeleine McCann


‘And before eight, I have only this one memory with beach and water, like sea or ocean, and there were turtles and children trying to catch the turtles and take them in their hands.

‘And I remembered light-coloured buildings, like white or very light colours, sunlight on this building.’

Dr Johansson, who is also a medium, has been granted power of attorney over Julia, the show was told.

She has dispelled any possibility Julia could be missing Maddie.

Madeleine McCann vanished from an apartment in Portugal as her parents ate in a nearby restaurant

Julia claims she has a similar mark on her eye


She told RadarOnline.com: ‘She is absolutely 100 percent from Poland. She is a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian but the test results show she is Polish.

‘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.’

DNA testing into who Julia’s father is is still ongoing.

Relatives of Maddie previously insisted ‘it’s obvious Julia isn’t Maddie’ and blamed mental health issues and a lust for attention after gaining more than a million followers under the handle @iammadeleinemccann.

Detectives have similarly ‘ruled out’ her account, with Pawel Noga, a spokesman for the police in Wroclaw telling Gazeta the investigation ‘contradicts the version presented by this woman’.

Julia’s account started posting content in February. In one video she points out how she supposedly bears a distinctive spot in her right eye and beauty mark on her cheek which resemble Maddie’s.

The clip has now been viewed over 1.3 million times.

A description below the video read: ‘Help me, I need to talk with Kate and Gerry McCann.

‘I think I can be Madeleine. I need DNA test.

Madeleine McCann disappeared while on a family holiday in Portugal


‘Police investigators from UK and Poland try to ignore me.

‘I will tell my story in posts here. Help me.’

Met Police has spent over £13 million on Operation Grange in a desperate bid to find her, alongside international searches.

Christian Brueckner, who is currently in a German prison for a number of sex and drug offences, was named by prosecutors in the country as a chief suspect in June 2020.

However investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas found that there was no solid evidence linking the 45-year-old to the disappearance as he researched a documentary that was broadcast in May last year.

Brueckner denies any involvement.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
UK Schools Report Thousands of Child-on-Child Sexual Offences
High Court Overturns Ban Blocking Gaza Families From Reuniting With Relatives in UK
G7 Authorizes Emergency Fuel Release as UK Diesel Prices Hit £2 a Litre
France and Italy Draw 1-1 in Nations League Match
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco Meet in Metz
SNCF Expands Low-Cost Ouigo High-Speed Service Between Lyon and Bordeaux
Paris Expands Dedicated Cargo Bike Routes for Urban Deliveries
French Film Industry Pushes for Tighter Streaming Investment Rules
Marseille Court Hands Down Prison Terms in Public Procurement Corruption Case
LVMH and Kering Rely on US Demand as Chinese Luxury Spending Slows
Toulouse Aerospace Sector Launches €80 Million Modernization Fund
Javier Milei Courts French Investment in LNG and Lithium
Mistral AI Launches Sovereign Model for European Public Services
French Competition Authority Fines Retailers €40 Million Over Misleading Promotions
France Records Exceptional Electricity Exports as Nuclear Output Recovers
Dassault Aviation Expands Rafale Assembly Capacity at Mérignac
Sanofi Invests €1 Billion in New Biologics Production Hub Near Lyon
France Protests Germany’s Extension of Border Controls Into 2027
French Public-Sector and Transport Unions Threaten National Strike
France Deploys Riot Police After Violence in Lyon Suburbs
French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Investigate Radicalized Flydubai Co-Pilot
France’s Defense Budget Surpasses NATO’s 2% of GDP Target
French Government Faces No-Confidence Threat Over Budget
France and G7 Release 100 Million Barrels From Strategic Oil Reserves
France Convenes Emergency Defense Council Over Threats to Commercial Shipping
France and Germany Coordinate Military Response After Russian Strikes on Kyiv Infrastructure
UK Police Release Six Iranian Nationals on Bail After RAF Fairford Security Alert
UK Business Confidence Falls as Energy Costs and Tax Uncertainty Rise
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Rise 16% in January
UK Introduces Zero VAT on Household Electricity Bills
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Hits 6% as Bond Market Pressures Intensify
UK Introduces Stricter Subcontractor Checks and Expanded Trade Union Access
Green Party Proposes Three-Year Emergency Freeze on Private Rent Increases
UK Treasury Committee Seeks Tax Clarification Over Manchester City Investigation
Royal Marines Deploy to Faroe Islands for Northern European Security Exercise
UK Business Confidence Weakens as High Costs Delay Investment
UK GDP Growth Revised Up to 0.5% in Second Quarter
Bank of England Warns of Financial Stability Risks From Autonomous AI
UK Expands Early Prisoner Release Scheme to Ease Overcrowding
UK Records Worst Bluetongue Outbreak on Record Across Livestock Farms
UK Government Faces Shrinking Fiscal Headroom Ahead of October 28 Budget
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Reaches 6% as Energy Shock Drives Borrowing Costs Higher
×