A Polish woman who went on Dr Phil claiming to be Madeleine McCann has received DNA tests results that reveal she is “100 per cent” Polish.
Julia Wendell, 21, made the bold claim in February on social media that she was the missing British toddler last seen on on a family holiday in Portgual in 2007, aged three.
Her family issued a statement denying the claim via a Polish Missing Persons charity, Zaginieni przed laty, stating that Julia had taken family photos, her birth certificate and numerous hospital discharges from her home.
After receiving death threats for pointing out physical similarities between her and McCann, Wendell went to the US and publicised her case with the aide of private detective and celebrity medium Dr Fia Johansson, who was granted power of attorney over Julia.
The pair made an appearance on Dr Phil and other media outlets, with Julia claiming that her Polish mother wasn’t her real parent.
But Ms Johansson confirmed on Tuesday that Julia had received DNA test results revealing she does not have any British or German connections, and was returning home to Poland.
In an Instagram post Ms Johansson wrote: “Although it is impossible to tell for sure without the parents DNA results on either side, the test results speak to the origins of Julia’s roots.
“The test results revealed that she is a 100 per cent Polish, with negligible influence from Lithuania and Russia.
“The DNA test results did not show any connecion to British or even German roots.”
Ms Johansson went on to defend Julia’s claims, saying 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”.
“This story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention,” she continued, adding that Julia had decided to return to live with her father in Poland.
“I prepared a short interview with Julia before leaving the US. She broke down in tears about her past.”
Convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner is accused of five offences between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal – with the charges unrelated to the McCann case.
But investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine after abducting her from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 2007.
Brueckner, who has reportedly denied any involvement in the youngster’s disappearance, was identified as a murder suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
