The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have reportedly asked for a DNA test after a girl ‘proves’ she’s their daughter.
“I hope so much this can finally offer closure to her poor parents,” another agreed.
“This would be so crazy if it were true,” one person commented.
However, not everyone was buying it.
“This all just seems like a publicity stunt to me,” one added.
Here’s what we know so far…
For years now, the mystery of missing child Madeleine McCann has shaken the world.
The 3-year-old girl went missing 15 years ago.
It happened while the British family were on holiday in Portugal.
Kate and Gerry McCann were from Leicestershire, UK.
And had left their children unattended while on holiday in Praia de Luz.
The parents went to a nearby Tapas restaurant to eat.
Leaving Maddie and younger siblings, Amelie and Sean alone in the hotel room, asleep.
At around 9pm, Kate went to check on the children.
She saw the three of them comfortably asleep, so returned to the tapas bar.
At 10 PM on May 3, 2007, Kate returned to her hotel room to check.
And saw the window open and Madeleine gone.
Police searched the nearby area from the moment the missing child was reported.
Not stopping until the next morning.
Police also alerted border controls in Portugal.
This was to ensure early doors that Madeleine could be not be trafficked.
On 12 May, the McCanns say they “cannot describe the anguish and despair.”
While police assured the media Madeleine was still alive and in Portugal.
Initially, the McCann parents came under scrutiny by authorities.
Registered sex offenders in the local area also came under suspicion.
On 26 May, police issued a description of a man seen on the night of Madeleine’s disappearance.
It’s believed he was possibly carrying a child.
Anglo-Portuguese property developer Robert Murat was one of the first suspects.
But he was released and cleared of the crime soon afterward.
It wasn’t until over 100 days after the crime that authorities admitted there was a chance she could have been killed.
But the case has remained mysterious.
The handling of the case has been subject to critisim.
In particular, the way forensics teams neglected to properly protect the crime scene, losing possible evidence.
Gerry McCann also claimed he believed his family was targeted by a “predator.”
The McCanns also released police sketches of a suspect, based on a description by a fellow tourist of a “creepy man.”
The McCanns became more overtly critical of the police.
Gerry McCann said he found it “incredibly frustrating” that the investigations has been stalled “for a very long time”.
Five years after the incident, Kate wrote a tell-all book about the case.
This led to Scotland Yard reopening the case in the hopes of finding answers.
Prime Minister David Cameron asks the Metropolitan Police to step in.
A two-year investigation by British authorities followed.
This led to the age-projected photos of Maddie being released to the public.
Which will become a major part of the story later …
This new investigation is called Operation Grange.
And in 2014, it lead to British police and sniffer dogs arriving in Portugal.
But this was to no avail.
The police also revealed that the investigations into Madeleine had cost more than £10 million ($13 million).
In 2019, Portuguese detectives reported they were investigating a foreign pedophile.
This was later revealed to be 43-year-old German Christian Brueckner.
There have been countless explorations into the case.
Including a smash-hit Netflix documentary on the subject.
A girl has gone viral on social media for claiming she believes she is Madeleine herself.
Julia Faustyna, 21, hit major headlines after she started posting on social media under the handle @iammadeleinemccann.
In one Instagram posts, Faustyna writes that she does not remember most of her early life.
Except “holidays in a hot place where was beach and White or very light couloured buildings with apartaments [sic].”
“I don’t see my family in this memory.”
Julia also claims it was her grandmother who first told her she was Madeleine McCann.
Julia has also pointed out physical similarities between herself and Madeleine.
“I have similar eyes, shape of face, ears, lips, I had the gap between the teeth,” she wrote.
And Julia had one major aim in mind.
“I need to know the truth. I need dna test and I need to talk with Madeleine’s parents. Help me!”
Faustyna also shared the police sketch of the man reported by witnesses as carrying a child away from the scene of the crime.
“I recognize this person..it looks very similar to my abuser,” she claimed.
In a different post, she claims to have been abused by a “German pedophile.”
However, Julia’s claims have also come under scrutiny.
Faustyna is a 21-year-old aspiring musician and model.
This has led some to believe she’s making these claims solely for publicity.
She claims her boyfriend “wants to leave me because of this case.”
And she has previously gone by names Julia Wendell or Julia Wandelt.
Her “mental health at this moment is not good,” spokesperson Dr. Fia Johansson shared in a video update to Faustyna’s Instagram profile.
“She needs help,” Johansson continued.
“It does not add up to me,” he concluded.
Whether he believes Julia is lying is not yet known.
There’s also her “challenging and messy” background to consider.
Nonetheless, there has since been a huge breakthrough.
Julia has updated her Instagram bio with “Kate and Gerry McCann agreed for DNA test!”
While a source told the Daily Beast that this is true!
Although Julia has not yet confirmed this news officially to the press.
While Kate and Gerry McCann have also not yet been reached for comment.
As for German sex offender Christian Brückner, 45, he is still under investigation.
He was a handyman in Praia de Luz at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance, and had previously served time for rape.
In fact, he is serving time for three counts of rape and two charges of child sex abuse, not related to Madeleine’s disappearance.
But his involvement in Madeleine’s case remains a mystery.
“We welcome the news that the Portuguese authorities have declared a German man an ‘arguido’ [suspect] in relation to the disappearance of our beloved daughter Madeleine,” the McCanns wrote on their website at the time.
“Even though the possibility may be slim, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will be reunited with her.”
The McCanns thanked police, saying: “All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice.
“We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace.”
What do you think about the case’s latest update?
And do you think there’s any chance Julia could be Madeleine?