BREAKING NEWSWoman Claiming to Be Madeleine McCann Arrested in the U.K.
Julia Wandelt has repeatedly claimed to be the missing girl.
Feb. 19 2025, Published 5:10 p.m. ET
Julia Wandelt, the Polish woman who has been claiming to be missing girl Madeleine McCann, has been arrested.
The 23-year-old was taken into custody by police late on Wednesday night, February 19, shortly after her plane landed at Bristol Airport in the U.K. It's been reported she was arrested on suspicions of stalking and harassing still-grieving parents Kate and Gerry McCann.
Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007.
Julia reportedly flew from Wroclaw in Poland to England to visit a friend who lives in Cardiff, but was intercepted by authorities.
Her friend was also taken into custody, though the reason behind their arrest is presently unclear.
As OK! previously reported, Maddie allegedly disappeared from her parents' Praia da Luz hotel room in Portugal in May 2007. She was only 3 years old at the time.
The little girl was never found and her case swiftly became one of the most highly publicized missing person cases in recent history.
Julia Wandelt shared DNA results that allegedly suggest she has a 'biological connection' to Madeleine McCann.
Julia — who has also been referred to as Julia Wendell and Julia Faustyna — went viral online for her unproven claims that she had "evidence" she was Maddie, citing a coloboma in her right eye and moles on her leg that were similar traits to the missing 3-year-old.
Aside from saying that she'd contacted police, Interpol and a detective about the similarities, she also shared her theory on the Dr. Phil Show. However, ancestry tests later confirmed she was from Poland and likely had no relation to Maddie.
- Polish Woman Who Believes She Is Madeleine McCann Terrified Of Suspected Portuguese Sex Traffickers After String Of Mysterious Phone Calls
- Madeleine McCann's Parents Dismiss Polish Woman's Claims She Is Their Missing Daughter: 'There Isn't Anything To Report'
- Madeleine McCann's Parents Receive Terrifying Letter From Deluded Polish Women Claiming to Be Their Missing Daughter, Demands Second DNA Test
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Julia Wandelt reportedly sent a letter to Gerry and Kate McCann.
Last year, Julia reportedly sent a letter to Gerry and Kate further detailing her claims that she suspected she'd been trafficked as a child and could still be their daughter.
"I have called many times to the hospital where Gerry McCann works and written emails to his university. I have contacted the British Missing People Foundation and the Polish embassy in UK," she wrote. "From the very beginning I was ignored by these institutions. The English police told me to go to the local police station in Poland, and the Polish police explained to me that they are not in charge of international affairs. Nobody wanted to help me. I am writing this because I want you to understand the reason why I decided to tell my story everyone on social media."
Gerry and Kate McCann have continued their search for their daughter Maddie for years.
Earlier this month, Julia once again went public with alleged evidence that she is Maddie when she shared DNA results that supposedly suggested she was "part British, part Irish" and allegedly "strongly supports that Gerry McCann could be Julia Wandelt’s biological father."
The McCanns have reportedly refused to participate in requests for DNA tests.
Daily Mail reported Julia's arrest.
