The woman who has claimed to be Madeleine McCann, a British girl who went missing in Portugal in 2007, is facing a new challenge as she awaits the results of her DNA tests.
Julia Faustyna, also known as Julia Wendell, has submitted her DNA for testing in the hope of proving her true identity.
However, Ms. Wendell’s spokesperson has revealed that she is currently awaiting test results to confirm if she has leukemia.
According to her spokesperson, Dr. Fia Johansson, Ms. Wendell’s health is very poor, and she has been suffering from bad asthma and bone pain.
Ms. Wendell has undergone a CT and MRI scan to determine the source of her pain, and her blood work is also abnormal.
Dr. Johansson added that if Ms. Wendell needs any treatment, she will make sure she gets the care she needs.
While awaiting the results of her DNA testing and health tests, Ms. Wendell has also submitted samples for three different forensic examinations that will outline her DNA sequence, along with a genetic test to establish her ancestry.
If Ms. Wendell’s ancestry is from the same region as Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, Dr. Johansson said she will immediately send the DNA sequence to Portuguese investigators for comparison.
Ms. Wendell claims that details of her childhood do not add up, leading her to believe that she was abducted as a toddler.
She has also said that Madeleine’s parents have agreed to a DNA test. However, Pawel Noga from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wroclaw has previously told Polish news outlet Gazeta that authorities have “ruled out” Ms. Wendell’s version of events to be “true,” according to an English translation of the outlet’s report.
Ms. Wendell’s claim has also sparked speculation that she could be Livia Schepp, a Swiss girl who disappeared in 2011 with her twin Alessia. Dr. Johansson said that Ms. Wendell is open to the idea that she could be any missing child out there, not just Madeleine.
The spokesperson added that Ms. Wendell has taken a DNA test, and they are investigating if it’s possible to check her DNA with that of missing Livia.
Despite Ms. Wendell’s claims, her family in Poland has spoken of their “devastation” at her assertions.
According to a statement released by the family through the Polish missing persons organization Missing Years Ago, they said, “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. Julia also has these photos, because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges.”
Ms. Wendell’s family also suggested that their daughter had always wanted to be popular, and had engaged in manipulative behavior and online activity that caused them concern.
Dr. Johansson urged the family to consider a DNA test and to get in touch with them directly to discuss the case, rather than releasing statements online.
“Some of the information Julia has told us and the evidence we’ve seen doesn’t match what the family are saying so we would like to talk about it directly with them,” she told The Sun.
“It seems suspicious to me that Julia’s family will not take a test, which could clear these claims up very quickly.”
In the meantime, the focus for Ms. Wendell is on her health, and her spokesperson has emphasized that her priority is to get the care she needs.
The results of her DNA tests and health tests will determine the next steps in the investigation into her true identity.
