Woman Claiming To Be Madeleine McCann Drops New DNA Bombshell
Three-year-old Madeleine mysteriously vanished from her holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, over 17 years ago and her case remains unsolved to this day.
Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, have vowed to keep searching for their daughter until they find answers.
On the 17th anniversary of her disappearance, her family took to social media and shared a heartbreaking update.
Kate and Gerry said on the Find Madeleine website: “It’s 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us.
“It’s hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief.
“Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the ‘living in limbo’ is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches.”
Kate and Gerry were not present at the recent prayer vigil in honor of their child.
But the woman claiming to be their missing daughter reportedly was…
Julia Wendell, who also goes by the name Julia Wandelt, made headlines last year when she took to social media and alleged she was the missing girl.
The 22-year-old detailed in many posts why she believed she could be Madeleine – she has the same rare eye abnormality known as coloboma – it’s where a part of the tissue that makes up the eye is missing.
Wendell even appeared on Dr. Phil, where she recalled one of her earliest memories: “It was the beach and water, like sea or ocean, and there were turtles and children…
“And I remembered light-colored buildings, like white or very light colors, sunlight on these buildings.”
Following the viral attention, Wendell said she regretted the false claim, insisting she never meant to hurt anyone.
She told the BBC: “I never meant to hurt anyone – including [the] McCanns. I really wanted to know who I am.”
Wendell added that she regretted the social media profile claiming to be Madeleine too, commenting: “I would never go on social media. It can destroy you.”
She told the BBC that she had the right to question who she really was and she believed she could help the McCanns find their missing daughter.
However, it appears that Wendell has backtracked on these words – she was reportedly at Madeleine’s vigil.
The 22-year-old reportedly traveled from Poland to attend. It’s believed she wanted to speak to Kate and Gerry.
Accompanied by a friend, Wendell apparently clutched a letter she wanted to show Madeleine’s parents – she is said to have been ‘disappointed’ by their snub.
Following the service, Wendell claimed (via Metro): “I am Madeleine McCann. I have never stopped believing it and I have come here because I want to ask Kate and Gerry to do a DNA test.
“They haven’t done one to prove I am not their daughter.”
She added: “No, I am not crazy. I am not a liar.”
This comes after Wendell’s DNA results disproved she was Madeleine last year.
It actually found that the 22-year-old is from Poland, with some Lithuanian and Romanian heritage, as per the Mirror.
Amid the 17th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance, it has been announced that a further $248,000 has been granted by the Home Office for the investigation into the girl’s disappearance, per ITV.
The Metropolitan Police has reportedly spent $17 million as of March 2024 investigating the high-profile case.
The latest update in the Madeleine McCann case involves Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in her 2007 disappearance.
On October 8, 2024, Brueckner was acquitted by a German court of unrelated sexual assault charges, including two counts of rape and sexual abuse, per Associated Press.
Despite his acquittal, Brueckner remains in prison for a separate rape conviction and is still under investigation in the McCann case.
German prosecutors intend to appeal the ruling and continue investigating Brueckner for his alleged involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
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Madeleine McCann’s Parents Share Heartbreaking Update 17 Years After She Disappeared
Madeleine McCann‘s parents have shared a heartbreaking update 17 years after she disappeared.
Three-year-old Madeleine mysteriously disappeared from her bed in an apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.
Her case has remained unsolved to this day and her family has vowed to keep searching until they find out what happened to her.
But now, Kate and Gerry McCann have offered a heartbreaking update 17 years after their child’s disappearance.
Madeleine disappeared on the evening of May 3, 2007, from her bed in an apartment in Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve region of Portugal.
She was three years old at the time.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had left Madeleine and her twin siblings asleep while they dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.
When they returned, Madeleine was gone and thus began a search that would span continents and captivate hearts.
Portuguese authorities initiated an extensive investigation, aided by international support.
The case soon became one of the largest missing persons investigations in history.
However, early missteps and a complex web of theories hindered progress.
Despite extensive international media coverage making this one of the most high-profile missing persons investigations in recent years, Madeleine’s whereabouts remain
unknown.
The case has garnered widespread attention and sparked numerous theories and speculations.
Despite numerous leads and investigations, no conclusive evidence has been found to determine what happened to Madeleine.
The case has been marked by controversies and conspiracy theories, with scrutiny falling on both the investigation and the McCanns themselves.
The role of the media, the adequacy of police procedures, and the reliability of witness statements have all been subjects of intense debate.
The investigation remains open, and her parents continue to advocate for their daughter’s case to be solved.
The McCanns have tirelessly campaigned for answers, advocating for renewed efforts and raising awareness through the Find Madeleine campaign.
Seventeen years have passed since Madeleine vanished without a trace, yet her story remains etched in our collective memory.
And now, Gerry and Kate McCann have spoken out just under two decades on from their daughter’s disappearance.
For Kate and Gerry, the journey since the night of Maddie’s disappearance has been a test of faith and endurance.
Kate, a devout Catholic, admitted to grappling with feelings of abandonment by a higher power in the wake of Madeleine’s disappearance.
In an extract from her 2011 book, ‘Madeleine’, Kate said: “There have been many times when I’ve felt God has deserted me or that He has let Madeleine down. I’ve occasionally doubted His existence altogether. And yes, I’ve been angry with Him…”
However, she believes her faith in God has provided solace and strength.
“For now, though, at least, my anger towards God seems to have subsided. I believe in Him and I still feel His presence,” she added.
Kate also opened up about struggling with intimacy after Maddie’s disappearance.
In her memoir, she wrote: “The first [problem] was my inability to permit myself any pleasure, whether it be reading a book or making love to my husband. The second stemmed from the revulsion stirred up by my fear that Madeleine had suffered the worst fate we could imagine.”
Detective Constable Mark Draycott shed light on a crucial breakthrough in recent developments.
A voicemail left on a Scotland Yard answer machine set in motion a series of events that led to the identification of a prime suspect, Christian B.
The suspect’s former friend Helge Busching, who knew him in the Algarve in the mid-2000s, tipped off Scotland Yard in 2017.
Detective Constable Mark Draycott, who has worked on Operation Grange, the £13 million probe into the Madeleine case, since it was launched in 2011, explains (per the Mirror): “One of my jobs was to check the answer phone messages. On May 18th I checked the answer phone and there was a message.
“It was from a male by the sound of his voice, he spoke good English and he asked to speak to David Edgar (private investigator). He said he had information and he left a Greek mobile number. I then rang this Greek mobile number and spoke to a male I now know to be Helge Lars Busching. He referred to himself as Lars and he gave information in relation to the Madeleine McCann investigation.”
Draycott shared the information with German and Portuguese authorities, sparking the probe into Christian B.
Meanwhile, in a poignant turn of events, Kate, a trained doctor, returned to the NHS frontline amid the Covid-19 crisis, which she claims helped her deal with her trauma.
A friend told The Sun: “Kate’s back working as a doctor. She’s helping out at her local hospitals now and not doing any surgery work. She has thrown herself back into a full-time job to assist others in need. There’s such a demand for qualified medics during these unprecedented times.”
Kate and Gerry are also parents to their twin children, Amelie and Sean, who are 19 years old.
Last year, Madeleine’s sister Amelie joined her parents and well-wishers for an anniversary event 16 years on from the disappearance.
“It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion,” she said at the event, before lighting a candle for her missing sister.
And now, the McCanns have offered another heart-wrenching update.
Madeleine’s parents have said the absence of their daughter ‘still aches’ in a touching tribute on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance.
In a heartbreaking update, they say: “It’s 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us. It’s hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief. Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the ‘living in limbo’ is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches.
“Your support continues to encourage us and bolsters our strength to keep going. We know the love and hope for Madeleine and the will to find her, even after so many years, remains, and we are truly thankful for that. Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children.”
