A Polish woman became an internet sensation when she claimed to be the missing Madeleine McCann – even though her parents called her claims “lies and manipulation”.
Julia Wendell, 21, appeared on the US program Dr. Phil where she said she began to suspect she was the missing British girl in June last year, without providing any evidence to support her claims.
Wendell says she submitted DNA tests – the results of which are not yet in – after claiming to be Madeline.
She provided no evidence to support her claims, and her parents from Poland even said that Wendell made the claims up and that it was clearly not Madeleine.
Madeline, then 3, disappeared during a family vacation in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007, which would now make her around 19 years old, two years younger than Wendell — yet another reason to dismiss her unsupported claims.
Here, MailOnline takes a look at who Julia Wendell is and her unsubstantiated claims.
Julia Wendell, 21, appeared on the US program Dr. Phil where she said she began to suspect she was the missing British girl in June last year, without providing any evidence to support her claims.
Madeleine, then 3 (pictured), disappeared during a family vacation in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007, making her now around 19, two years younger than Wendell — yet another reason to dismiss her unsupported claims.
Who is Julie Wendall?
Julie Wendall, 21, is an aspiring musician, singer and actress who claimed on her Instagram that she is Madeleine McCann.
Wendall hasn’t spoken much about her personal life, but has claimed that she has a boyfriend who “wants to leave me because of this condition.”
She also claimed that she attended the school sporadically.
Wendall claims that she cannot remember large parts of her childhood and is not sure of her age because she has not seen her birth certificate – a claim strongly refuted by her Polish parents.
“I don’t remember most of my childhood, but my early memory is very strong and related to holidays in a hot place where there is a beach and white or light colored buildings with flats,” she said. “I don’t see my family in this memory.”
What are its claims?
Wendall appeared on Dr Phil in the US and reiterated her claims to be Madeline.
She claims she began to suspect that she was the missing British girl in June last year, without providing any evidence to support her claims.
‘I think I’m Madeleine McCann,’ insisted Wendall, as Dr. Phil asked her about her non-existent evidence including no DNA evidence.
Dr. Phil shows Wendell pictures of her and Madeline side by side, which the Polish woman used to promote her theory on social media.
Wendell claimed she had a lot of similarities to the missing Madeline, and that a rare eye defect she claimed she shared with Madeline had ‘faded away’ after Dr. Phil asked her about it.
She said she also had a similar laugh and wink to the missing girl.
Wendall (pictured) claims she began suspecting that she was the missing British girl in June last year, without providing any evidence to support her claims
Wendell claims her mother would always change the subject when Wendell raised her childbirth and “didn’t want to show me any evidence.”
She also claimed that no photos of her early years or birth certificate were ever shown, plus that the Polish health card used to track health-related issues such as vaccinations had six blank pages to begin with. Wendall’s Polish parents have denied this.
Dr. Phil told her, “She (Wendell’s mother) says she went to the hospital and gave birth to you,” to which the 21-year-old replied: “She said yes.
“When I asked her for DNA before this whole situation, when I asked her for some pictures from her pregnancy, some childhood pictures…she refused.”
She was asked why her DNA samples had not been sent to the police – her ancestry could be verified once and for all through testing.
Wendell claimed she tried to contact the British and Polish embassies when she first thought she could be Madeleine but no one would listen. She has insisted that she will undergo whatever testing is necessary to prove her claims.
A private investigator connected to Madeleine’s case said Wendall’s allegations “do not add up”.
“Without knowing the details in depth, it is of no use to me,” investigator Francisco Marco told the Spanish newspaper. The Independent. “I don’t think she is.”
Who is Dr. Via Johansson?
Wendall assisted Dr. Via Johansson, a private investigator and psychic medium, with providing DNA samples.
Dr Johansson, 40, who transferred Wendell from Poland to the US after receiving death threats, said: ‘If results come back as British or from that region, we will continue our investigation of Madeleine McCann and contact investigators in Portugal.
The psychiatrist alleged that Wendall was smuggled out of Poland from another country by an international sex group, without providing evidence.
“We are still conducting an investigation, but Julia is definitely not the biological daughter of her parents in Poland,” Dr. Johansson claimed, and did not cite any evidence.
Dr. Johansson, who was born in Stockholm, Sweden, describes herself on her Instagram as a doctor of psychology and human behavior.
Wendall (right) assisted Dr. Via Johansson (left), a private investigator and psychic medium, with providing DNA samples
What did Julie Wendall’s family say?
While Wendall claimed to be Madeline and was not shown pictures of herself in her early years or her birth certificate, her Polish parents quickly refuted the claims – and provided evidence.
Her parents said in a statement, “For us as a family, Julia is clearly our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and niece. We have memories, we have pictures.
Julia also owns these photos, because she took them from the family home along with the birth certificate, as well as several hospital discharges.
We always tried to understand all the situations that happened with Julia. The threats to our address from Julia, her lies and manipulations, her online activity … We have seen it all and tried to prevent it, to explain it, to ask it to stop.
They added: We have always tried to help her get back on her feet. Julia has been coming of age for several years. I got out of the house.
She refuses treatment and does not take medication regularly. Nor did she take advantage of the possibility of treatment in a very good center in Poland that agreed to accept her.
They explained that they’ve offered to provide Wendall with therapists, medication and support over the years, adding: ‘Julia once wanted to be a singer, a model. She always wanted to be famous. What happens now is that she has a million followers.
The internet won’t forget, and Julia is clearly not Maddie. We are devastated in this current situation.
