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27th March 2023
12:15pm BST
A Polish woman who hasn't stopped making headlines since she claimed to be Madeleine McCann is set to reveal her evidence to Dr Phil.
Julia Wendell, who is also known by the names Julia Faustyna and Julia Wandelt, has been interviewed by the American chat show host, with the episode due to air in the US Monday night.
The 21-year-old 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, Portugal, in 2007. The evidence included some freckles on her leg and an eye defect. Julia, 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.
Julia has been working with a so-called medium, Dr Fia Johansson, who has shared clips from Julia's appearance on the show.
One post shows Dr Phil examining Julia's claims to have the same eye defect as Madeleine.
Julia tells the host that she is waiting for the results of a DNA test to find out her true identity and that she believes she is in fact, Madeline McCann.
She is questions about what she found out doing a "simple records check", with the results set to be revealed on the show.
"In an exclusive interview, Wendell reveals what else she discovered that made her believe she is the girl who vanished in 2007 at 3 years old,” a description on the Dr Phil website reads. The site continues: "However, Wendell’s parents in Poland insist she is their biological child and deny she was kidnapped. McCann, who would be 19 years old now, was abducted in 2007 while on vacation with her family in Portugal and is presumed dead. “Has McCann finally been found? Or, is this a cruel hoax?”
In a caption on one of her post about Julia's appearance on the show, Dr Fia Johansson writes: "We're not just looking for answers… We are looking for justice for Julia. Thank you to @drphil for having us. I'm looking forward to this young woman getting a platform to speak courageously and call out those who abused her. No matter what happens, Julia - and survivors of sexual violence, assault, and abuse - deserve Justice and to be heard."
Fia has previously said that she and Julia plan to reveal the results of the DNA test as soon as they're available.
“When the DNA test comes, which I am really badly waiting for and checking every day the status of it, we will match with a DNA test of (Madeleine) McCann,” she explained on an Instagram Live video.
“(She could also match) anyone else out there looking for their kid that may (be) missing at that time," Johansson added.
Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are reportedly open to the test.
Madeline was just four years old when she disappeared from her holiday apartment. No trace of her has ever been found and no one has been arrested. The prime suspect in the disappearance, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, has been charged in Germany with unrelated sexual offences. He is accused of five offences between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal. German prosecutors say the investigation into Maddie’s disappearance is ongoing separately.
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