Maddie McCann investigator breaks silence on Polish woman’s claims

The lead detective on the original Maddie investigation has cast major doubt on a Polish woman’s claims she’s the missing British girl.

A private detective who led the hunt for Madeleine McCann in the months after her disappearance has weighed in on claims from a 21-year-old Polish woman who believes she’s the missing girl, saying her story “doesn’t add up”.

Julia Wendell went viral after launching an Instagram account named @iammadeleinemcann, which she has used to share “evidence” she is the missing girl – including photos she says document apparent physical similarities between herself and Maddie.

The 21-year-old, who is also reportedly known by two other surnames: Faustyna, and Wandelt, has told her 500,000 followers she’s not looking for viral fame and “truly believes” she is Madeleine McCann.

Maddie, from Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, went missing from her bed in a holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort town Praia da Luz on the evening of May 3, 2007.

She was three years old, meaning if she was alive today, she would be 19.

Kate and Gerry McCann have reportedly agreed to a DNA test, however it comes amid growing concern about the young woman’s mental state.

Now Francisco Marco, an investigator hired by the McCanns to lead an investigation commissioned by Gerry and Kate, has broken his silence over the unsubstantiated claims.

“Without knowing the details in depth, it doesn’t add up to me. I don’t think it’s her,” he told Spanish newspaper El Independiente.

Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007. Picture: Handout/METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP

Woman shares ‘evidence’ she’s missing Madeleine McCann. Picture: Instagram/iammadeleinemccan

Mr Marco isn’t the only one with doubts. Despite the fact Julia’s desperate pleas for a DNA test have captured global attention, internet sleuths are rightly sceptical.

One detail interesting followers is the fact Julia has been identified as having different surnames.

The two-year difference in Julia’s age compared to Maddie’s is also an issue many can’t get past.

Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal in 2007. Picture: Joe Giddens / POOL / AFP

Scepticism and backlash, which has included death threats, hasn’t stopped Julia sharing resemblances between herself and the McCann family.

In one video, Julia showed marks on her body that are similar to Maddie’s, helpfully adding red circles to illustrate her point.

Another side-by-side image she cites as “evidence” shows her similar facial structure.

Perhaps the most powerful image is one showing Julia with what appears to be a similar eye defect to the one missing Maddie also has.

In Maddie’s case, this was caused by an extremely rare condition coloboma in her right eye, which police had hoped for years would help identify her.

The woman’s mission to discover if she is Maddie comes after a string of alleged incidents at home – including her own family’s refusal to take a DNA test or supply her birth certificate.

She also claimed there are “no photos” of her as a baby, though she later shared a snap her grandma has provided, but said she struggled to accept its legitimacy.

In a more recent video update, she said her family had said she is “not normal” and labelled her “horrible” for giving “hope to the McCanns”.

Julia added the strain of the situation had left her feeling “scared and alone” adding her relationship with her partner is suffering too.

“I am alone. My boyfriend wants to leave me too – because of this case,” she said.

She broke down in tears in a recent live Instagram video. Picture: Instagram/iammadeleinemccan

She said the only evidence her grandma has supplied is hard to verify. Picture: Instagram/iammadeleinemccan

Support for Julia is high, as many people plead with authorities to take the young woman’s claims seriously.

“Call me crazy but I do think that girl could be Maddie ... the police should at least check her claims,” one woman wrote on Twitter.

“Why don’t they just do the DNA test and find out either way. Her story definitely matches in parts,” another added.

The last official update on the Madeleine McCann case came in 2020 when German and Portuguese investigators stated they suspected Maddie was killed by convicted sex predator Christian Brueckner.

Brueckner was charged with three counts of aggravated rape and two counts of sexual abuse of children in October last year.

The alleged offences span a 17-year period between 2000 and 2017, The Sun reported at the time. He has not been charged with any offence in relation to Maddie’s disappearance.

German police think Christian Brueckner, 43, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence, abducted and killed Maddie after phone records placed him near the scene. Picture: Bild/ Supplied

The hunt for Maddie has cost an estimated $23 million to date. Picture: AFP PHOTO / MELANIE MAPS

Despite extensive searches and numerous police investigations, Maddie’s body has never been found.

Kate and Gerry, now both 54, recently pledged to “never give up” on their quest to find their missing daughter – adding they were entering their 16th year without her with “continued determination and positivity”.

The couple also have 17-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. It’s estimated the probe for Maddie has cost £13 million (approximately $23 million) to date.

Originally published as Maddie McCann investigator breaks silence on Polish woman’s claims