A private detective who led the investigation for Madeleine McCann after her disappearance has weighed in on the young woman claiming to be her on social media.
A 21-year-old woman named Julia - who goes by the Instagram handle @iammadeleinemcann - believes that she could be the missing British girl due to comments made by her grandmother.
She has amassed a staggering one million followers on her page and uses it to share a number of physical similarities between herself and Maddie such as her freckles and eye condition.
While Julia has built a platform around her claims, she has also said that she is not looking for fame on social media and truly believes that she is Madeleine McCann.
On the evening of May 3, 2007, a three-year-old Maddie, from Leicestershire in the United Kingdom went missing from her bed in a vacation rental in the Portuguese resort town Praia da Luz.
The missing person's case shook the world, with tons of speculation surrounding the young girl - who would now be 19 years old - but unfortunately, she has never been found.
Julia first attracted attention online after a video of hers went viral on TikTok. She may have even gotten the attention of Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who have allegedly agreed to do a DNA test.
According to The Mirror, Julia claimed that she spoke with someone from Madeleine's family and that a DNA test "will be done soon" and even reiterated those claims in her Instagram bio.
Furthermore, a source close to the parents of the missing girl alleged to the Daily Star that the family "are taking no chances, they are willing to look at all leads. It is important they look at all of the factors, the girl does look similar".
"There’s no disputing that. If what she says is true, there is every chance it could be her. It all adds up," they added.
However, a detective named Francisco Marco - who was hired by the McCanns to lead an investigation years ago - has broken his silence over the woman's unsubstantiated claims.
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper El Independiente, he said: "Without knowing the details in depth, it doesn’t add up to me. I don’t think it’s her."
Marco isn’t the only one with doubts as other internet sleuths are also skeptical and pointed out that Julia has been identified as having more than one surname, per News.com.au.
In addition to this, the outlet shared that online users have noted that her age is two years older than Maddie's.
While there is no official information on the McCanns allegedly agreeing to the DNA test, the woman's uncorroborated claims have managed to attract a million followers on her social media platform, with her story currently going viral on Twitter and TikTok.
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