A Polish woman who claimed to be missing toddler Madeleine McCann has returned with brand-new DNA test results to support her assertions.
This time, she said the results show a shocking connection to the missing girl’s father, Gerry McCann.
At the age of 3, Madeleine vanished from her bed in a holiday resort in Portugal on May 3, 2007. Her British parents Gerry and Kate McCann were dining at a nearby tapas bar at the time of her disappearance.
A woman named Julia Wandelt made fresh claims about being Madeleine McCann
Image credits: amijuliawandelt
While there are no definitive answers about what happened to Madeleine that night, a woman named Julia Wandelt claims she was the one who disappeared from the holiday apartment.
Julia has shared a fresh set of DNA results, submitted by a “world expert,” on her Instagram account called @amijuliawandelt.
In one Instagram post, she said her DNA results were compared to the DNA found at the Madeleine McCann crime scene in Portugal.
“My actual DNA results show that I am part British, part Irish,” she said.
However, Suzanna Ryan from Ryan Forensic, DNA Consulting & Advanced Serology Lab, was skeptical about Julia's latest divulgence.
“I would not trust the results that Ms. Wandelt has posted online,” she told Bored Panda via email.
At the age of 3, Madeleine vanished from her bed during a family trip to Portugal
Image credits: Rex Features/VidaPress
As per Julia's revelations, the analyzed DNA samples included hair obtained from the floor of the crime scene and saliva obtained from the bed quilt.
The results reportedly showed a 69.23% match, seemingly suggesting a biological connection between her and Gerry.
Julia’s post said the “conclusion” was that the genetic evidence “strongly supports” that “McCann could be Julia Wandelt’s biological father, as the data aligns perfectly with a parent-child relationship.”
Furthermore, the 23-year-old woman released results from Face++, described in her post as a “highly accurate” facial recognition technology.
When Julia’s face was compared to young Madeleine’s, the results came back as “a very high” match, her social media post said.
Julia released a series of Instagram posts related to new DNA test results
Image credits: amijuliawandelt
The self-proclaimed missing child said in a series of Instagram posts that the new DNA results were analyzed and interpreted by forensic expert Dr. Monte Miller, who has a PhD in biochemistry from Loma Linda University in California.
“The simple answer is that the suspect is not the source of the DNA on the evidence, because their DNA is not fully established EVERYWHERE,” Dr. Monte said in an emailed response to Julia.
However, the expert noted that the results match fairly well.
“A specific pattern emerges that looks like an almost certain family connection,” he added.
Image credits: Netflix
Reports say Julia is currently 23 years old. However, Madeleine, who was born on May 12, 2003, would have only turned 22 this year.
“I would not trust the results that Ms. Wandelt has posted online as there is no laboratory letterhead or accreditation information and clearly some information has been redacted,” Suzanna, who has over two decades of experience in the field of forensic serology and DNA analysis, told Bored Panda.
“There is no way to tell if these alleged results are accurate based on the limited portion of the report that has been released,” she added.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Julia's claims is how she allegedly obtained DNA from the crime scene in the first place.
The latest DNA results claimed Julia is part British and part Irish
Image credits: _amijuliawandelt
“How would Ms. Wandelt have obtained DNA results from the crime scene for comparison purposes? Additionally, even if she had somehow obtained DNA results or profiles from the crime scene it is unlikely that genealogical testing had been performed on these crime scene samples since it is a newer analysis technique not available at a the time of Madeleine's disappearance,” Suzanna noted.
After a closer look at the “results,” Suzanna believes the 69.23% DNA match likely refers to the amount of genetic material shared between these two samples and not between Julia and the McCanns.
“This is a high amount of DNA sharing and does indicate a close biological relationship like a parent-child or sibling relationship. However, once again these results appear to be comparing two crime scene samples,” the DNA analyst said.
Image credits: _amijuliawandelt
“If they are two crime scene samples, then this means that one sample (lets say the hair) was from one of the McCann family members and the other sample (the saliva) was from either a parent, child, or sibling of the first sample.”
The expert raised doubts about whether the so-called fresh DNA report was even real.
“Anyone can obtain reporting language used in a genealogical or paternity testing report and then re-type the results subbing in whatever names they like,” Suzanna said.
“It looks to me that this report was originally detailing results from two samples taken from the crime scene and has nothing to do with Ms. Wandelt,” she added. “If it is even a true report at all and not completely made up.”
Previous DNA tests confirmed she was Polish and dispelled the claims she first made in 2003
Image credits: _amijuliawandelt
Suzanna pointed out that there is also confusion about Dr. Monte's analysis.
“Dr. Miller is referring to a 'suspect' and evidence - not to a comparison between Ms. Wandelt and Mr. and Mrs. McCann,” the expert said.
“It seems to me he is referring to a familial relationship between two samples taken from a crime scene,” she continued. “Considering several family members were present at the Portugal crime scene, it would not be surprising to see DNA from any of the McCann family members there.”
As Julia continues to keep the mystery alive, Suzanna said a simple paternity test would determine whether her claims are true or not.
“I would guess that this has probably already been done and Ms. Wandelt has been shown not to be Madeleine McCann and the police and the McCann's are not commenting as to not give more credibility to this person or her allegations,” the expert concluded.
Image credits: 48 Hours
Julia, who also goes by Julia Wendell and Julia Faustyna, first made headlines in February 2023, when she claimed to the world that she was Madeleine.
She made the declaration through an Instagram account, @iammadeleinemccann, which no longer exists.
Julia went on to appear on Dr. Phil to talk about her claims and underwent several DNA tests to prove she was Madeleine McCann.
However, previous test results confirmed that she was Polish with some Lithuanian and Romanian roots, thus ruling out the possibility of her being born to Kate and Gerry.
Both the McCanns and Julia’s Polish parents refused to provide their DNA for a comparison.
The McCanns refused to participate in a DNA comparison with Julia
Image credits: 48 Hours
“For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step-niece. We have memories, we have pictures,” Julia’s Polish family said in a statement when the previous results were released.
The new DNA test results apparently indicate she is part British and part Irish, potentially contradicting earlier findings.
About a year after her Dr. Phil appearance, Julia told BBC that she regretted making the Madeleine McCann profile in the first place.
She also apologized to the McCanns as she was concerned about adding to their heartache.
When Julia spoke to BBC about her younger years, she said her memories from her childhood were patchy.
Image credits: Dr. Phil
While she couldn't remember bits and pieces of her childhood, she said she was sexually abused as a child.
She also noted that she was isolated in school.
When Julia raised suspicions about her upbringing with her Polish parents, she said they dismissed notions about her being adopted.
The case of Madeleine’s disappearance remains one of the world’s most infamous missing person mysteries.
On the anniversary of her disappearance last year, Kate and Gerry said it had been 17 years since their daughter “was taken” from them.
“I believe that I am Madeleine McCann,” Julia said during a Dr. Phil appearance
They said they were “fortunate” to live a relatively “normal and enjoyable” life at the time, but that “‘living in limbo’ [was] still very unsettling.”
“The absence still aches,” the parents said in their statement.
German national Christian Brueckner was identified as the prime suspect in the toddler’s disappearance.
He was acquitted last year of sexual offense charges related to crimes he was accused of committing in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The charges were unrelated to Madeleine’s appearance.
Christian remains in prison for a previous conviction of sexual assault in another case.
Julia's latest revelations sparked mixed opinions online
