Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann receives DNA test results - with full heritage revealed

4 April 2023, 06:04 | Updated: 6 April 2023, 12:23

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

A woman who has been claiming she could be Madeleine McCann has finally received the results from the DNA test she took to figure out her identity.

Julia Wendell, 21, hit the headlines after saying she could be Madeleine, who was last seen on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007.

Her social media following grew rapidly online, which eventually meant she was forced to flee her native Poland for the United states after receiving death threats.

While there, Julia took a DNA test to learn more about her identity, in the unlikely event that she could be Madeleine.

Her DNA test results have now confirmed that she is not the missing British girl, instead showing that she is from Poland, with some Lithuanian and Romanian heritage.

Read more: Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann reveals shocking childhood memories of holidays with men she didn't know

"She is absolutely 100 percent from Poland," Dr. Fia Johansson told RadarOnline.com. "She is a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian but the test results show she is Polish."

Dr. Johansson, who has been given power of attorney over Julia, had already said her "gut feeling" was that the 21-year-old was not Madeleine.

Read More: 'I have a gut feeling' Private detective gives her verdict on DNA claims of woman who believes she is Madeleine McCann

Read More: Girl claiming to be Madeleine McCann: What have Julia Wendell's Polish parents said?

Speaking on Monday before the DNA test results were revealed, Dr. Johansson said: "We learned a few things, one being that Julia’s mum is in fact now believed to be her mum, so she is not Madeleine McCann."

"They’re not 100% but they believe that Julia’s mum is in fact her mum. They’re questioning her father’s side. They’re checking into that, that’s part of what they’re doing with the DNA.

"But Julia’s mum is in fact her mum is what they’re believing and she is not in fact Madeleine McCann."

Police hunting Madeleine McCann are set to get hundreds of thousands of pounds in fresh funding as the 16-year search continues for the missing British girl.

So far, £13 million has been spent on her case - but a special grant for £302,000 is now likely to be approved by the Home Office, the Sun reported, despite fears funding could be cut.

A source close to the investigation said: “This is excellent news. Maddie’s parents Kate and Gerry will be delighted. It gives fresh hope.”

Peter Bleksley, a former Met detective, said: “As long as there are unanswered questions I can see why there is a case.