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Home / World

Madeleine McCann mystery: Julia Wendell’s DNA results have arrived

NZ Herald
4 Apr, 2023 10:35 AM3 mins to read

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      A Polish woman claiming to be missing child Madeleine McCann will complete a DNA test to see if she really is the girl who has been missing for 16 years. Video / NewsNation

      A week after she appeared on the Dr Phil show to promote her claims, the Polish woman claiming to be long-lost British girl Madeleine McCann has finally received the long-awaited results of her DNA test.

      Julia Wendell has become a sensation online after going public with her claims, despite her family expressing their dismay at the media circus around their daughter and calling for her to seek mental health treatment.

      Wendell has sid she first suspected she was the missing British girl last year, after years of questioning her family history.

      She told Dr Phil her mother would always change the subject when she asked about details of her early life.

      Read More

      • Madeleine McCann mystery: Julia Wendell to appear on ...
      • Madeleine McCann mystery: Woman claiming to be Maddie ...
      • Madeleine McCann: Facial recognition gives verdict ...
      • Madeleine McCann mystery: Polish woman Julia Wendell ...
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      She did not send DNA to the British police, instead choosing a DNA test to probe her ancestry.

      She has said she would wait for the results before going further with her claims.

      Now the results are in - and they don’t show ancestry that matches with tragic Maddie.

      “She is absolutely 100 per cent from Poland,” Wendell’s advocate Dr Fia Johansson told Radar Online.

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

      Wendell claimed photos showed physical similarities between the pair.
      Wendell claimed photos showed physical similarities between the pair.

      Johansson told the outlet that she still believes the man who allegedly sexually abused Wendell may be linked to the McCann case – and said that exposing him may help the McCann investigation.

      “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 said.

      “At least Julia got the investigators to move on the McCann case. She made things happen,” she added.

      ‘Rehearsal, not recollection’

      During her TV appearance, Wendell told Dr Phil she only had “one early memory”.

      “Beach and water, like sea or ocean, and there were turtles and children … and I remembered light-coloured buildings, like white or very light colours, sunlight on these buildings,” she said.

      The memories, which paint a picture of the region of Portugal where McCann went missing, was given as strong proof of the integrity of Wendell’s story by Johannsson.

      She said the fact that Wendell recounted the story the same way every time made her believe it was true.

      “I see that very differently actually when I’m interrogating someone and they give me the exact story the same way every time,” Dr Phil responded.

      “That suggests rehearsal, not recollection.”

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      Julia Wendell, who is claiming to be Madeleine McCann, appeared on Dr Phil. Photo / Supplied
      Julia Wendell, who is claiming to be Madeleine McCann, appeared on Dr Phil. Photo / Supplied

      Wendell’s family have previously expressed their dismay at the media circus around their daughter and called for her to seek mental health treatment.

      “For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step-niece,” her parents said in a statement earlier this year.

      “Threats to our address from Julia, her lies and manipulations, activity on the internet. The interest won’t forget, and it’s obvious that Julia isn’t Maddie. We are devastated at this current situation.”

      Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann are yet to make an official statement on the matter.


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