Woman who thinks she could be Madeleine McCann reveals what Kate said to her on the phone

Julia Wandelt continues to capture global attention with her claim that could be Madeleine McCann, the British girl who vanished in 2007 at the age of three from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

Madeleine was just three when she vanished. Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

This case has not only puzzled investigators but has also led to a sprawling financial and emotional expenditure, with the Metropolitan Police investing over £13.2 million in the search.

Wandelt, who has also used the names Julia Faustyna and Julia Wendell, made headlines last year when she publicly declared her belief that she was the missing child.

This assertion was based on her memories of being abducted and the physical descriptions of the individuals she recalls from her alleged kidnapping.

Credit: Julia Wandelt / Instagram

She described harrowing details on the Break The Ice podcast, claiming: "I remember being taken, I remember being abused before being taken, and I remember that I was put into the car... I only remember that he had dark hair and that he was slim and tanned skin."

Seeking to solidify her claim, Wandelt - from Poland - reached out directly to Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.

She recounted two phone interactions—one where she spoke briefly to Kate, who hung up after a short exchange, and another where Gerry dismissed her call.

Wandelt expressed confusion and frustration about why, if her actions were seen as troublesome or defamatory by the McCanns, no legal steps had been taken against her.

"I called Kate's number, I called and once Kate answered the call and she said only 'hello' and she hung up when I asked her if she could do the test with me," she said.

Gerry and Kate McCann in 2007. Credit: Pool / Getty

"And the second time I called her, Gerry answered the call, he was kind in the beginning and then when he heard my voice, he said that I called the wrong number.

"The main question I have here is why have they not still reported me if it's annoying for them, if they think that I'm destroying their names or the name of Madeleine or their family?

Adding another layer to this complex scenario, DNA tests have confirmed that Wandelt is of Polish descent, with a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian heritage, challenging her claims of being the missing British girl.

Dr. Fia Johansson, Wandelt’s representative and a psychic medium, told Radar Online: "The test results show she is Polish," and added that while there is some uncertainty about her father, Wandelt's mother is definitively her biological parent.

This ongoing saga raises numerous questions about identity, memory, and the lengths to which individuals will go to seek closure or connections to unresolved parts of their lives.

The emotional impact on all involved—Wandelt, the McCanns, and the public who have followed this case for over a decade—is profound.

Featured image credit: Handout/Getty