Today, May 3, marks 17 years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the little girl who was in a vacation apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents were having dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant.
Open case. The case soon shocked the entire world and involved multiple countries in the investigation. However, despite the intense media attention that the Madeleine McCann case has received over the years, the investigation has been marked by fluctuations between moments of hope and numerous dead ends.
Julia Faustyna Wandelt. One of the most controversial moments in the investigation was the emergence of Julia Faustyna Wandelt, a young woman who claimed on social networks to be Madeleine McCann. This statement sparked a torrent of media attention and hope, but it also unleashed a wave of criticism and scrutiny. Ultimately, after investigation and DNA testing, her claims were proven to be unfounded, adding another disappointing twist to the already complex search for the truth in this case.
Public repentance. After months in the media eye trying to prove she was the young woman who disappeared in Portugal on May 3, 2007, Julia Faustyna disappeared from the public eye and assured in her last public appearance in an interview with the BBC on January 30, 2024 that she regretted having put on social media that she was Madeleine McCann.
His story. According to Julia in the aforementioned media, she had a traumatic childhood marked by abuse and isolation and found an escape from her problems in music and social networks. Her mental health, affected by these experiences, led her to doubt her own identity and explore the possibility of having been adopted or even kidnapped, due to gaps in her memory and the lack of responses from her family. she.
Similar to McCann. Moved by the need to understand her past, Julia began researching on the Internet and came across the case of Madeleine McCann. Upon noticing a physical resemblance and sharing a rare ocular anomaly with Madeleine, Julia became even more convinced of the possibility that she was the missing girl, prompting her to create an Instagram account under the name @iammadeleinemccann.
Threats and criticism. His story quickly went around the world and not only gained followers who offered support and comfort, but also attracted criticism and death threats. Despite initial support, public scrutiny and threats increased the stress in Julia’s life.
Public apology. Finally, a DNA test confirmed that Julia was not Madeleine, leading to a public apology to the McCann family and a reflection on the consequences of her actions on social media: “I apologized to the McCanns because I don’t know them personally. I don’t know if they were watching my case, if they were sad or not. And I just wanted to ask for your forgiveness. Because each person can react in a different way and maybe it brought them more sadness. “I didn’t want them to feel sad,” she says on the BBC, while saying: “I really wanted to know who I am and I knew that could make them sad.”
