Madeleine McCann has sadly NOT been found.
Earlier this year, Polish woman Julia Wendell alleged she was McCann — the 3-year-old toddler who infamously disappeared from a family vacation in Portugal back in 2007.
Last June, the 21-year-old started to believe there was a possibility she was the missing child based on a similarity between their eyes, birthmarks, and a lack of clarity regarding her early years. Last week, she spoke with Dr. Phil to share her story. Watch a clip (below):
However, following a recent DNA test, Wendell’s claims have been proven false.
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Dr. Fia Johansson, Wendell’s spokesperson and an investigator in her case, shut the speculation down in a Tuesday Instagram post. She began:
“Julia’s test results are back. We finally know the reality. Although it is impossible to tell for sure without the parent’s DNA results on either side, the test results speak to the origin of Julia’s roots. The test results revealed that she is 100% of Polish heart, with negligible influence from Lithuania, and Russia. The DNA results did not show any connection to British or even German roots.”
Madeline, of course, grew up for her first few years in Rothley, Leicestershire in England before going missing in Algarve, Portugal. Johansson continued:
“This story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention. She truly believed what she was saying, and with so many questions about her childhood it is easy to understand where she was coming [from].”
She added that many of Julia’s worries could have been resolved with less publicity if her parents had been more receptive to taking a DNA test to resolve the “nagging question” for Julia, but added that following the results, the young woman has decided to return to her family. See her full post (below):
According to The Jerusalem Post, Wendell’s parents said in a statement around the time of Julia’s initial claims that they were indeed her biological parents, adding that the McCann claims were false.
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This has been the latest update in a nearly 16-year-long case. If you remember, McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry were initially named suspects, but cleared a year later. Then, in 2021, the Mirror reported that investigators were “100% convinced” they had proof to charge 44-year-old Christian Brueckner as a suspect in the case, citing phone records near the area of Madeleine’s disappearance just one hour before she vanished. However, he denied involvement, and a year later, the Prosecutor’s Office in Faro, Portugal announced they had a NEW suspect, but did not reveal their identity.
Many believe Madeleine is dead, but her parents still hold hope she is alive out there somewhere.
What are YOUR thoughts on this latest update in this case, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
[Images via CBS/YouTube & WENN]
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