More than 15 years after her disappearance, the parents of Madeleine McCann have reportedly agreed to a Polish woman’s request for a DNA test. Julia Faustyna, 21, claims that she is the missing daughter of Gerry and Kate McCann, who disappeared while on a family vacation in Portugal in May 2007. Faustyna began posting on Instagram under the handle @iammadeleinemccann earlier this month, creating quite a buzz.
Through a series of social media posts, Faustyna tells the story of her past, shares her memories, and explains why she believes that she could be Madeleine McCann. She’s posted several photos comparing herself to the missing child and pleading with the McCann family to contact her. According to the New York Post, the family has agreed to the test, but many fear the woman is in a fragile mental state and this could all be a figment of her imagination.
Update: The Investigation is Ongoing
In early April, DNA test results confirmed that Julia Faustyna, aka Julia Wandelt, is not Madeleine McCann. Several days later, she issued an apology to the McCann family, according to the Post. “It wasn’t my intention to bring sadness or any other negative emotion to anyone, especially to McCann’s family,” she said in a social media post.
The investigation into her true identity, however, is ongoing. Multiple news outlets have reported that police in California seized a phone believed to belong to Faustyna, according to Radar Online. The phone was turned in voluntarily, but police have declined to provide additional details.
“We are not going to make any comments about the case,” department representative Sgt. Mike Woodroof told Radar Online. “Our investigation is taking a deep look into it and we’re going to let them do their investigative duties and then from that point let the judicial system take over – if it needs to.”
For more details about the case, see our original report that follows.
Faustyna has few memories of her childhood.
In one of her first Instagram posts, Faustyna claims she believes she is Madeleine McCann because of a vacation memory.
“First reason..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 couloured buildings with apartaments,” she wrote. “I remember that I saw turttles on the beach it was little Bay as I can remember I saw turttles then and there were another children and they tried to touch small turttles. I don’t see my family in this memory.”
Her next post is of a police sketch she identifies as a suspect in the missing person’s case. She claims to know the man in the drawing and pleads for help getting in touch with Gerry and Kate McCann.
She believes that she resembles the McCann family.
Faustyna posted several images of herself as a child compared to photos of Madeleine McCann. She believes she could be the missing girl based on physical similarities in the photos. She also compares herself to photos of Gerry and Kate McCann and points out what she believes are likenesses.
Many followers commented that they do not think she is the missing child based on her physical appearance.
She claims to be the victim of trauma.
Faustyna does not detail what type of abuse she suffered, but she claims she was the victim of a “German pedophile.” This claim draws a parallel to Madeleine McCann’s case. According to an April 2022 article in the Post, Christian Brueckner, a convicted German sex offender, was named a suspect in the child’s disappearance after being named a person of interest in 2020. Despite being officially named in the case, Brueckner has not been charged.
Faustyna thinks her birth certificate is fake.
In an Instagram video with 866,000 views, Faustyna claims her birth certificate is forged. She says it isn’t uncommon for someone abducted to have falsified documentation to create a new identity. She claims she asked her parents in Poland for a DNA test, but they refused, stating that her ideas were “crazy.”
She also explains that she is unsure if she is Madeleine McCann, but because she has only “single memories” from birth to 13 years old, she needs the DNA test to figure out who she is.
Experts warn that Faustyna’s background is 'challenging and messy.'
Fia Johansson, who goes by @persianmedium, posted on Faustyna’s Instagram account to address her mental health. Johansson is a medium who helps with police investigations and explains that an investigative team is working together to see where Faustyna fits into the missing girl’s case. She said Faustyna’s mental health is fragile and that social media commentary hurts her.
“To everyone interested in Julia’s search for answers, please understand we are in the middle of an investigation. This is a vulnerable woman seeking answers about her identity and her life,” wrote Johansson. “Regardless of your opinions, she is a human being who deserves respect. When everything is done in the investigation in a few weeks, you can learn more, but more now, please respect this woman’s privacy. Her background was challenging and messy. There is no need to spew hatred, judgment, and especially threats towards a person in need. This is unacceptable and needs to stop.”
Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007, from a Praia de Luz resort just days before her fourth birthday. Her parents left her and her infant siblings sleeping in their vacation apartment while they ate at a nearby restaurant but looked in on them regularly, according to the Post. When Kate McCann checked on the children around 10 p.m., she discovered the bedroom window and door open and the toddler nowhere to be found.
