Polish woman claims she is missing British girl Madeleine McCann
A Polish woman claims she is Madeleine McCann, a British toddler who went missing while on vacation with her family in Portugal more than 15 years ago.
Police in Wroclaw, Poland, are reportedly disputing a young woman's claims that she may be missing Madeleine McCann, a British girl who disappeared from a family vacation in Portugal in 2007.
The Polish woman, Julia Faustyna, who also goes by Julia Wandelt, has been claiming on Instagram and TikTok that she may be the missing toddler due to similarities in their appearance and age. She has amassed tens of thousands of followers as a result.
But Paweł Noga from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław told the Polish news outlet Gazeta that they have "ruled out" Faustyna's version of events to be "true," according to an English translation of the outlet's report.
Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, along with their three children — Madeleine and twins Sean and Amelie — were on vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal, when Madeline was taken from her bed on May 3, 2007. The family was staying in a ground-floor apartment.
Polish woman Julia Faustyna claims she is Madeleine McCann, a British girl who went missing from Portugal 16 years ago. (TikTok @iammadeleinemccann/Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook)
Faustyna's account began posting photos two weeks ago. The Polish woman says she has a spot in her right eye and a beauty mark on her cheek that resemble McCann's. She also claims that details of her childhood don't add up, leading her to believe that she was abducted as a toddler.
"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 [colored] buildings with [apartments]," Faustyna said in an Instagram post from her account, "@iammadeleinemccann."
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Her accounts on Instagram and TikTok quickly went viral. She said in an update last week that Kate and Gerry McCann had agreed to a DNA test, which a family attorney did not confirm to Fox News Digital.
Kate and Gerry McCann hold an age-progressed police image of their daughter during a news conference on May 2, 2012 in London, England, to mark the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
"Due to an active police investigation, Gerry and Kate are not issuing any statements or giving interviews unless requested by The Metropolitan Police," a spokesperson for the Official Find Madeleine Campaign said in a statement.
Social media users, who were at first curious about Faustyna's claims, are now wary about the viral account. Faustyna shot back at her critics in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday.
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"If you don't like me, please unfollow[.] I don't want fans or followers[.] I closed my Facebook account and Tik Tok [sic] so people can't make fun of me ok?" she wrote. "LEAVE ME ALONE."
Polish police are disputing a young woman's claims that she may be missing British toddler Madeleine McCann. (Instagram/@iammadeleinemccann)
A Polish blog for missing persons posted a purported statement from "Julia W's" family to Facebook.
"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," a translated version of the statement reads. "Julia also has these photos, because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges."
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The statement adds that Faustyna has had "numerous therapies, medicines, psychologists and psychiatrists," but she "moved out of the house" and "refuses treatment."
Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 from her family's apartment in Portugal. (Handout)
"[Julia] once wanted to be a singer, a model. She always wanted to be popular. What's happening now she got 1 million followers. We're afraid Julia will carry the inevitable. The internet won't forget, and it's obvious that Julia isn't Maddie. We are devastated at this current situation. At the same time, we would like to announce that we will not do interviews, publish any photos, comment on articles. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Spokesperson of the Provincial Police Command in Wrocław," the statement continues.
The Metropolitan Police of London told Fox News Digital that they have no new comment on the investigation.
"We continue to support colleagues in Germany with their investigation," the Met Police said.
Madeleine McCann, a British toddler, went missing from a ground-floor apartment in Portugal in 2007 while on vacation with her family. (Handout/Getty Images)
In 2020, German police named convicted child abuser and drug dealer Christian Brueckner, 45, as a suspect in the 3-year-old's disappearance, though Brueckner, a German citizen, continues to deny involvement in the case.
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Brueckner is currently serving time in a German prison for drug crimes. He also has a pending seven-year sentence connected to the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz.
McCann's family is accepting donations for the search for Madaeliene through their website, findmadeleine.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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