After a 21-year-old Polish lady named Julia Wendall claimed to be Madeleine McCann, who disappeared at the age of three in Portugal in 2007, the internet has been rife with speculation. While Julia and her representatives await the results of a DNA test to learn more about her parentage, both the Polish police and Julia’s family have issued statements in response to the reports. Here is the complete explanation.

The Provincial Police Headquarters in Wroclaw confirmed in a brief statement to a Polish publication, Gazette, that they had “ruled out” any connection between Julia and Madeline, but did not specify why.

Julia’s family statement

In addition, Julia’s family issued a statement through the Polish charity for missing persons, Zaginieni przed laty. The statement, when translated, reads: “For our family, Julia is clearly our daughter, granddaughter, sibling, niece, cousin, and step niece. We have memories and photographs. These photographs are also in Julia’s possession, as she took them from the family residence along with the birth certificate and numerous hospital discharges.”

They went on to explain that over the years they had provided Julia with therapists, medication, and support, adding: “Julia once desired careers as a singer and model. She has always desired popularity. The current situation is that she has 1 million followers… We are devastated by the current state of affairs.”

Read the complete statement here

They concluded: “Any inquiries or comments should be sent to the Ombudsman of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław, who is conducting the investigation on Julia and to whom we have provided all the necessary documentary evidence in this case.”

Who is Julia Austyna?

Julia, a young Polish woman, asserts that she is Madeleine McCann after hearing an odd remark from her grandmother and sharing the same distinguishable eye fleck. She also asserts that there are no photographs of her as a young child.