Police 'seized phone' of Polish girl who claimed she was Madeleine McCann in new twist to case

Police in California have obtained a phone believed to belong to Julia Wendell, the woman who claimed she was Madeleine McCann.

The Polish woman claimed to be the disappeared girl, saying she did not remember significant parts of her childhood, had no birth certificate and claiming she lacked the first six pages of her child health book.

She also said she shared some physical characteristics with McCann, including a similar defect in one of her eyes.

Wendell's family insisted she was their biological child but she went through with a DNA test regardless to determine whether she was actually Madeleine McCann, with the test telling her she really was from Poland after all.

Wendell apologised to Kate and Gerry McCann and said she never claimed she was Madeleine McCann, even though she set up an Instagram account named @iammadeleinemccann, saying she had instead meant to write 'am I' instead of 'I am'.

Now, a phone believed to belong to Wendell has reportedly been seized by police in California when she was there.

Instagram/@amijuliawendell

According to RadarOnline.com, law enforcement in Wroclaw, Poland were contacted by Orange County Sheriff's Department to inform them they had acquired a device believed to belong to Julia Wendell.

They report that the phone was handed over to the police voluntarily.

"We are not going to make any comments about the case." Department Spokesman Sergeant Mike Woodroof told the site.

"Our investigation is taking a deep look into it and we’re going to let them do their investigative duties and then from that point let the judicial system take over – if it needs to."

Wendell has since returned to Poland and criticised private investigator Dr Fia Johansson, who announced she had power of attorney over the 21-year-old.

Posting a video onto a new Instagram account named @amijuliawandelt, she claimed Johansson had been 'trying to scare me' and 'never wanted to help me'.

Dr Phil

She said she was still 'struggling to understand' the results of her DNA test which told her she was '100 percent Polish' as she had been told in her life that she had been part-German.

Wendell claims to have requested all of the documents regarding the DNA testing she underwent but alleges that Johansson refused to send them to her.

Self-proclaimed medium Johansson said she 'tried to help her [Wendell] find her true identity as she wished' and 'wish her a well and happy life' despite the recent social media posts.

LADbible has contacted Orange County Sheriff's Department for comment.