Polish woman claims she is missing British girl Madeleine McCann
A Polish woman claims she is Madeleine McCann, a British toddler who went missing while on vacation with her family in Portugal more than 15 years ago.
Social media users are casting doubt on claims from a Polish woman who says she is Madeleine McCann, a British girl who went missing from a family vacation in Portugal 16 years ago when she was three years old.
Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, along with their three children — Madeleine and twins Sean and Amelie — were on vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal, when Madeline was taken from her bed on May 3, 2007. The family was staying in a ground-floor apartment.
"I don’t remember most of my childhood but my earliest memory is very strong and It’s about holidays in hot place where was beach and White or very light [colored] buildings with [apartments]," the Polish woman, Julia Faustyna, who also goes by Julia Wendlet, wrote in an Instagram post last week from her account, "@iammadeleinemccann."
The account began posting photos last week. Faustyna says she has a spot in her right eye and a beauty mark on her cheek that resemble McCann's. She also claims that details of her childhood don't add up, leading her to believe that she was abducted as a toddler.
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Faustyna's account quickly went viral. She said in an update last week that Kate and Gerry McCann had agreed to a DNA test, which a family attorney did not confirm to Fox News Digital.
"Due to an active police investigation, Gerry and Kate are not issuing any statements or giving interviews unless requested by The Metropolitan Police," a spokesperson for the Official Find Madeleine Campaign said in a statement.
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Social media users, who were at first curious about Faustyna's claims, are now wary about the viral account after Faustyna posted a photo of her mother and then deleted it. Users say she resembles her mother more than she resembles the McCanns.
A Polish blog for missing persons also posted a purported statement from "Julia W's" family to Facebook.
"For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step niece. We have memories, we have pictures," a translated version of the statement reads. "Julia also has these photos, because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges."
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The statement adds that Faustyna has had "numerous therapies, medicines, psychologists and psychiatrists," but she "moved out of the house" and "refuses treatment."
"[Julia] once wanted to be a singer, a model. She always wanted to be popular. What's happening now she got 1 million followers. We're afraid Julia will carry the inevitable. The internet won't forget, and it's obvious that Julia isn't Maddie. We are devastated at this current situation. At the same time, we would like to announce that we will not do interviews, publish any photos, comment on articles. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Spokesperson of the Provincial Police Command in Worcław," the statement continues.
Faustyna has received help from medium Dr. Fia Johansson, otherwise known as "@persianmedium" on social media, to communicate her story.
The Metropolitan Police of London told Fox News DIgital that they have no new comment on the investigation.
"We continue to support colleagues in Germany with their investigation," the Met Police said.
Polish woman Julia Faustynna claims she is Madeleine McCann, a British girl who went missing from Portugal 16 years ago. (TikTok @iammadeleinemccann/ Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook)
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In 2020, German police named convicted child abuser and drug dealer Christian Brueckner, 45, as a suspect in the 3-year-old's disappearance, though Brueckner, a German citizen, continues to deny involvement in the case.
Brueckner is currently serving time in a German prison for drug crimes. He also has a pending seven-year sentence connected to the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.