A young woman has emerged on social media claiming that she is the missing British girl Madeleine McCann and is calling for a DNA test.
A bizarre video has appeared on Instagram in recent days of a woman who claims she "could be Madeleine McCann" and has since gone viral on different platforms.
For those unaware, Madeleine was just four years old when she suddenly disappeared from the holiday apartment she was sleeping in while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.
Mystery has surrounded the search for the youngster but unfortunately, she has never been found. In recent years, many online users have attracted attention due to their resemblance to her.
Watch the video below:Now, the woman - who goes by the name Julia Faustyna and says she is 21 years old - is the latest person to make the claim in the harrowing missing person case.
Julia posted evidence to her Instagram account - which goes by the handle @iammadeleinemcann - and stated that a comment from her grandmother allowed her to think she may be the missing girl from years ago.
To further make her claims, she even showed her followers the freckles on her legs - which are similar to Madeleine's - and said that she also has the same eye condition.
Madeleine famously had a distinct mark on her right eye - known as coloboma - which is due to a gap in part of the eye's structure and usually occurs towards the bottom of the eye, giving the pupil a keyhole-like look.
It occurs due to the eye not fully forming during pregnancy and while children with the condition generally have good vision, it can affect their ability to tolerate bright light.
Julia is so convinced that she wants to take a DNA test, and made that clear in her Instagram bio which reads: "Help me, I need to talk with Kate and Gerry McCann," adding, "I think I can be Madeleine. I need [a] DNA test. Police investigators from UK and Poland try to ignore me. I will tell my story in posts here. Help me."
In a post shared last night, Julia responded to the backlash she's received about the posts. She shared a picture of herself and one of Madeleine, and wrote: "Thank you for [the] support that you give me, and for haters, I have to say that I am not kidding and I truly believe that I can be her.
"I didn’t take money from anyone and I am not going to do this because police should do [a] DNA test [on] me and compare it with Kate and Gerry McCann's DNA."
While the woman's so-called evidence is currently unsubstantiated, it has managed to attract over 85.3K followers on the social media platform, with her story also going viral on TikTok.
However, she isn’t the first girl that has claimed to be missing Madeleine. Back in 2021, a sick trend swept the video-sharing app when girls claimed to be Madeleine but it was quickly slammed by outraged viewers.
Back in January, Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann vowed in a statement that they would "never give up" the quest to find their daughter.
The couple wrote (cited by Birmingham Live): "As has been the case over the many years without Madeleine, the kind messages of support and Christmas wishes which we have received have brought that extra touch of warmth and hope to our lives.
"Christmas and other celebratory events will never be the same with our family incomplete, but we continue to make the best of our situation whilst never forgetting or giving up. We head into the new year with continued determination and positivity," they added.
