Julia Wandelt claimed to be Madeleine McCann – and went viral on social media
Julia Wandelt gained more than a million social media followers by posting “evidence” that she was Madeleine McCann.
The Polish national first posted on Instagram in early 2023 under the username “I’m Madeleine McCann” before appearing on podcasts and an American chat show.
Wandelt later said at his trial, where he was found guilty of harassing the missing girl’s family, that he was not an “attention seeker.”
He added that he did not post online for financial gain and only started sharing his allegations on social media because the police “ignored” him.
During her testimony it was revealed that she had received a total of around £400 from her “supporters” whom she asked for a lie detector test and that her boyfriend had kicked her out of school with no savings.
On her Instagram and TikTok accounts, in addition to filming herself singing in her kitchen and playing with her cat, Wandelt posted comparisons between her facial features and photos of Madeleine, comparisons to Madeleine’s sister Amelie McCann, and DNA test results to prove to her followers that she was the missing girl.
He also released audio recordings he made when he went to the McCanns’ home last year to request a DNA test.
But in previous TikTok posts, Wandelt’s videos focused more on him playing guitar, singing, and wishing his cat, Monte, a happy birthday.
In one video, Wandelt is seen standing in the kitchen singing a song he wrote called “I Didn’t Know”, among videos featuring many covers of famous songs.
When Wandelt, who also used the names Julia Wendell and Julia Faustyna, began attracting media attention in March 2023, she traveled to the United States with American medium Fia Johansson, who allegedly took away her phone and passport.
The pair appeared on US chat show Dr Phil, where Wandelt said: “When I started thinking I could be Madeleine, I rang the Polish embassy. I rang the British embassy. Nobody listened.”
“I decided to start this Instagram and leverage the power of social media.”
The show’s host, whose full name is Phil McGraw, told Wandelt: “She (Wandelt’s mother) says she went to the hospital and gave birth to you.”
Wandelt said: “My mother, before this whole situation, when I asked her for DNA, some photos of her pregnancy, some photos of her childhood, photos of me when I was 3-4 years old, she refused and did not want.”
Wandelt also appeared in a series of livestreamed interviews with YouTuber Shaun Attwood, and in one episode played a secret recording of his phone call with Detective Constable Mark Draycott of Operation Grange, the ongoing investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.
During the meeting, Mr Draycott told Wandelt not to enter Leicester or call the British police claiming to be Madeleine or he could be arrested.
Wandelt said at his trial that he was “threatened” by Mr Draycott during this meeting.
BBC’s Why Do You Hate Me? After an episode of her podcast aired in January 2024, Wandelt expressed her regret for posting online that she could be Madeleine.
Wandelt said in the interview that if she could go back in time, she would “never go on social media” because “it could destroy you.”
He said: “From the first day I started my social media journey, I remember spending a lot of time on the internet. I was looking at what people were writing, what they were saying, to see if they believed me…”
Wandelt said he received death threats on social media but continued to post “because he wanted to know the truth.”
When asked in the BBC interview whether he had thought about how his social media posts would make the McCanns feel, Wandelt said: “I thought about it but I had to put myself first because this is my life.
“I wanted to know exactly who I was. I knew it might upset them, but they want to find their child, so I believe it’s a hope, it’s always a hope, and I felt like I was doing the right thing.”
Wandelt, 24, was found guilty of harassing Kate and Gerry McCann at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, but was cleared of stalking them.
The other defendant, Karen Spragg, was found not guilty of stalking and harassment.
