What We Know About The Girl Who Claims She Is Madeleine McCann

1. She claims to be Madeleine McCann

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Julia Wendell is the latest girl to claim she is Madeleine McCann, who went missing from her vacation apartment in Praia de Luz, Portugal in 2007.  But she is not the first to make these claims.  In fact, in 2020 an unnamed TikTok user, later identified as 'Emily' shared a post that went viral, claiming she was the missing toddler.  And there have been many more over the years.

2. She began to wonder after her grandmother said 'something'

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It is unclear exactly what Julia's grandmother actually said, but it was something significant.  And whatever it was must've been extremely significant because it made Julia's doubts about her identity strong enough to begin her research which led her to learn about Maddie's disappearance.  From this, she created a powerful social media account to plead for help with proving that she is who she believes.

3. She shared 'proof' on social media

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Wendal's Instagram and TikTok accounts went viral after she posted claims that she was the missing tot.  When she first posted, she said that she had two pieces of solid 'evidence' to prove that she was. in fact, Madeleine McCann.  This proof includes a freckle on her leg and a speck in her eye that she says are both identical to Maddie's.

4. She posted childhood pictures next to photos of Maddie

Image Source: Instagram

As part of her 'proof', Julia posted several childhood images of herself alongside photographs of Madeleine where she circled the features that she thought were similar.  And this was in an attempt to convince the McCanns, the police, and the public that she was actually who she thought she was.

5. She has the same spec in her eye

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One unique identifying feature that Maddie had was a little speck in her eye.  This speck is a condition called a 'Coloboma' and is said to affect 1 in 10,000 people.  It doesn't always affect the outward appearance of the eye so a lot of the time, it goes undiagnosed.

6. She claims to have the same freckles

Image Source: Instagram

And there was something else that made Julia question her own identity.  She photographed the freckles on her leg to provide the public with yet more evidence.  And she believes that the freckle on her leg is in exactly the same place as Maddie's freckle.

7. She believes her smile is proof

Image Source: Instagram

Julia Wendal posted a video and some images to her Instagram account, @iammadelinemccann of her smiling.  She zoomed in on her smile and posted it next to a zoomed-in photograph of Kate McCann's (Maddie's mother) smile, claiming they were very similar.  And she has also claimed that she looks like Maddie's father, Gerry.

8. She believes her family lied about her age

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When Madeleine McCann went missing from her vacation apartment in Praia de Luz in 2007, she was 3 years old.  That would make her 19 now.  But Julia Wedall is 21 so this doesn't really add up.  In fact, she is so convinced she is Maddie that she really believes her family lied about her age to further hide her identity!

9. Her parents' and teacher's stories don't add up

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Julia's suspicions arose even more when she began to question her family and her teachers.  She said that stories from her parents and teachers of her attendance at school when she was younger differed greatly.  Her parents said she was there, and her teachers said she wasn't!

10. She has never been sure about her identity

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There have been many reasons why Wedall has never been completely sure about who she actually is.  And these include her age, and even whether she was adopted or not.  In a video, she said that she was unable to obtain a copy of her birth certificate and that she has never seen a photograph of her mother pregnant with her.

11. She goes by three different surnames

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If you've been trying to find out who Julia is, you might be confused to see that there are so many different variations of her surname.  These include 'Wedall', 'Wendelt', and 'Faustyna'.  And there are many different spellings of 'Wedall', including 'Wendall', 'Wendell', and 'Wendel',

12. She is a singer and a model

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It has been said that the Poland-based 21-year-old has always wanted to be popular and famous.  In fact, her photographs appear on a Polish modeling agency website, and it has also been said that she has strong aspirations of becoming a famous singer too...

13. She doesn't remember much about her childhood

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Julia Wedall has claimed that she doesn't remember huge chunks of her childhood, and she has said that this is because of childhood trauma.  Experts agree that any trauma a person experiences, including physical, emotional, and mental trauma,  can lead to memory loss.

14. She has early memories of playing on a beach

Image Source: Instagram

Julia doesn't remember a lot about her past, but she has said that she has a really strong early memory of being somewhere hot, playing on a beach, with the sun shining and there were lots of really white or light-colored buildings.  But she doesn't see her family at all in this memory.

15. Her mother won't talk about it

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Julia has claimed that her parents, particularly her mother, refuse to talk about who she is.  She said that she has tried to get answers but has failed to get the answers she was looking for.  Her parents have denied her claims and said that they are absolutely 'devastated' about the global attention she has gained.

16. Many people aren't convinced by her story

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The McCanns haven't so far been convinced of Julia's story at all.  And it seems they're not the only ones who don't believe her.  Julia has received so much hate online from online users, and private detective, Francisco Marco, has led a probe into the case and said that the details just don't add up.

17. She has been asked to take a DNA test

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Julia Wendell strongly believes she has enough evidence to warrant these claims, but it seems that many are still not convinced by her story, especially Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.  In fact, they have asked her to take a DNA test as definitive proof.  The trouble for Julia, though, is that her mother is still refusing to take the test.

18. She has received lots of hate

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So because people don't believe her, her claims have really offended a lot of people around the world.  She has over a million followers on her Instagram account.  And as a result of all of this, she has received a lot of online hate and threats, that many believe will haunt her for the rest of her life.

19. Her mental health is suffering

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In a recent statement, Julia's family has opened up about the mental health issues that she has been dealing with for quite some time.  And they are absolutely 'devastated' by the momentum her story has received because they feel that it will have an even more terrible impact on her mental health.

20. She is vulnerable

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Julia is classed as a vulnerable person.  She is said to have suffered significant childhood trauma and her parents stated that she had been dealing with mental health issues for a lot of her life.  But because she is of age, and doesn't live with them, there is little they can do when she refuses any help or treatment or when she doesn't take her medication properly.

21. Biometric analysis found no resemblance

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The private investigator, Francisco Marco, carried out a biometric analysis on Julia and said that her features have been found to have 'no resemblance' to Madeleine McCann's features.  Despite this, the long-term investigator on the case, Julian Peribanez, said that her claims should not be dismissed until a full investigation has been completed.

22. She sought help from a psychic

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Julia's claims have sparked outrage online and she's receiving so many online threats and abuse that she has now sought help from a Persian medium, Dr. Fia Johansson.  The psychic has issued a statement, that has been shared on Julia's social media platforms, to say that she is investigating the case and has urged people to stop the hate.

23. She gained more than 1 million followers

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When Julia's social media profile, @iammadelinemccan, surfaced it went viral.  In fact, as she was posting her 'evidence', she was accumulating thousands and thousands of followers across her Instagram and TikTok profiles and she now has over 1.1 million followers across both platforms.

24. She is based in Poland

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Julia Wendell is based in Poland and is said to have lived there throughout her life.  And local Polish media have reported that, despite ongoing private investigations, the Polish police have managed to rule out the possibility that she is Madeleine.

25. She spoke to Madeline's cousin

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In one of her social media posts, Julia said that she spoke to someone who claimed to be Maddie's cousin.  She said that this cousin said that there would be a good possibility that she would be able to speak to Kate and Gerry McCann to discuss getting a DNA test.

26. She feels like she is being ignored

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Despite her social media profiles and posts gaining the attention of millions worldwide, Julia said that she felt like what she was saying was being ignored, particularly by the authorities such as the police.  She said that it was Kate and Gerry McCann that requested the DNA test after she was initially ignored by the police.

27. She's desperate for people to believe her

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Many people online don't believe her, the Polish police have ruled out she is who she believes she is, and her family has denied her claims.  But it is clear from her efforts and emotive social media posts that she is desperate for people to believe that her claims and pleas for help are actually genuine.

28. She has been unable to get a copy of her birth certificate

Image Source: Instagram

As part of her gathering evidence to prove she is Maddie, Julia has said that she has contacted the authorities to obtain a copy of her birth certificate.  But she claims that they told her that they can only divulge the information over the phone.  Her family said in a statement that she did actually take her birth certificate, along with old photos and hospital discharge notes from their family home.

29. She has never seen a photo of her mother pregnant

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There are lots of things that Julia claims to have aroused her suspicions about her family and about her identity.  And one thing she said that she was confused about is the fact that she has never seen a picture of her mother pregnant.  Because of this, she believes that her mother is not her biological mother.

30. Her parents said she is setting up a 'circus'

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Julia's family has recently broken their silence on their daughter's claims.  They have said that they're incredibly confused and said that they have always supported her and tried to understand different situations with Jula.  They even said that they tried to stop all of this but she just wouldn't listen to them at all.  They're devastated about the amount of attention she has gained and how it will stay with her for the rest of her life.