Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann reveals haunting first memories of childhood

The accounts sound extremely similar

Julia Wendell, who is also known by the names Julia Faustyna and Julia Wandelt, went viral in February after sharing what she claimed as “evidence” on Instagram that she is the girl who went missing in Praia da Luz in 2007. The evidence included some freckles on her leg and an eye defect. The 21-year-old, who would be two years older than Maddie who would turn 19 in April, has said she does not remember large chunks of her childhood, or the moment she was supposedly taken. She has also claimed she was abused by a German paedophile who looks like someone who was once a suspect in Maddie’s disappearance. Polish police have disputed Julia’s evidence and her parents have claimed she is unwell.

Wendell, speaking on US TV, said she had one memory from her younger years which involves being near a beach and the ocean.

"I have some single memories since eight, nine years old," she told Dr Phil.

"And before eight, I have only this one memory with beach and water, like sea or ocean, and there were turtles and children trying to catch the turtles and take them in their hands.

"And I remembered light-coloured buildings, like white or very light colours, sunlight on this building."

Private investigator  Dr Fia Johansson, who is supporting Julia in her case and believes that she "isn't lying" admits that the memory the 21-year-old has is similar to the surroundings where Madeleine was abducted.

She said: "When I put it all together, I thought, 'Hmm, something makes sense and I need to get into why she remembers just that things'.

Julia is currently in the US awaiting the outcome of three DNA samples and a genetics test to determine if she is in fact, Madeleine McCann.

Related links:

• Investigator explains why woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann ‘isn’t lying’
• Woman who claims she is Madeleine McCann tells Dr Phil exactly what she will do to prove it
• Family of woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann break their silence