A 21-year-old Polish woman who consistently claimed online that she was British missing child Madeleine McCann received her DNA results, which were publicized Monday.
Julia Wendell (also listed as Julia Faustyna in other reports) went viral in early 2023 after claiming online that she was Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from a Portuguese hotel room in 2007 while vacationing with her parents, RadarOnline reported. DNA tests conducted on Wendell prove that is almost 100% Polish, with a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian, her caretaker and private investigator Dr. Fia Johansson told the outlet.
The search for McCann is in its 16th year. Wendell’s claims have apparently reinvigorated the investigation into McCann’s disappearance. Johansson believes that a man who sexually assaulted Wendell is also linked to the child’s disappearance, with Portuguese investigators wanting to look into his background.
“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,” Johansson told RadarOnline. “At least Julia got the investigators to move on the McCann case — she made things happen.” (RELATED: Suspect Named In Missing Toddler Case Gripping Multiple Countries After 15 Years)
Wendell previously described being a victim of child sex trafficking, and suffered a significant skull injury that erased portions of her childhood memories, according to another RadarOnline report. At the age of 8, Wendell was able to walk or speak for more than a year. During interviews with Radar, Wendell said she can recall trips to exotic locations where she was accompanied by men she didn’t know.
Wendell’s family denies that she is McCann, according to the New York Post. Wendell has fought back against her parent’s claims, saying that she’s never seen an image of her mother pregnant, and that she always changes the subject when she brings up her childhood, as seen in an interview with Dr. Phil.