The disappearance of Madeleine McCann is one of the world’s biggest cold cases.
Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday to Portugal in 2007, and has never been seen since. This, of course, hasn’t stopped countless people claiming to be Madeleine. Given that her body has never been recovered, or Madeleine identified, the McCann family are taking every claim seriously.
There has been a viral new allegation from 21-year-old Polish woman Julia Wandelt claiming to be the missing child, so could we finally be close to getting answers to this unsolved mystery? Experts aren’t so sure.
Earlier this week, Wandelt’s allegation that she’s Madeleine went viral after her Instagram account surfaced, with photos documenting her claim.
However, according to the private detective who originally helmed the search for Maddie back in the 2000s, the likelihood of Wandelt actually being the British toddler is very slim.
Below, we break down everything to know about the case, including what officials have said about Julia Wandelt being Madeleine McCann.
Is Julia Wandelt Madeleine McCann?
Currently, there is no information to confirm or reject Wandelt’s claim that she is Madeline McCann.
Wandelt first started posting to Instagram under the handle @iammadelinemccan, claiming that she is British toddler who disappeared from her hotel room while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant.
Wandelt claims that she doesn’t remember much of her childhood, but she has early memories of being by a beach and claims to also have a freckle in her eye, just as Madeline had.
The McCann family agreed to a DNA test, but have yet to release a statement addressing the claim or reveal the results of the test.
However, that hasn’t stopped detectives associated with Madeleine’s case from speaking out on the validity of Wandelt’s allegation.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper, El Independiente, the private investigator who led the original search for Madeleine, Francisco Marco, has broken his silence, claiming that Wandelt’s evidence “doesn’t add up”.
“Without knowing the details in depth, it doesn’t add up to me. I don’t think it’s her,” he told the publication.
Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry continue to remain optimistic that their daughter will be found. Madeleine would be 19-years-old.
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