American woman who thinks she's Madeleine McCann hits back at people who pointed out major flaw in her claims

American woman Eugenea Collins has tried to silence critics who doubt her claims that she is the missing British child, Madeleine McCann.

Madeleine, from Rothley in Leicestershire, was just three-years-old when vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

Despite Metropolitan Police reporting to have spent approximately £13.1 million on the missing child investigation, the whereabouts of Madeleine remains a mystery.

Nobody has ever been convicted in relation to her disappearance.

Over the years, various young women have come forward claiming to be Kate and Gerry McCann’s daughter, including 23-year-old Julia Wandelt.

Madeleine McCann went missing from her family's apartment in Portugal in 2007 (PA)

Wandelt was remanded into custody at Bristol Airport last week (February 19) after allegedly sending messages to the McCann family and turning up at the family home on multiple occasions, as per BBC News.

Police claim the Polish woman’s conduct ‘had a substantial adverse effect’ on the family’s day-to-day activities.

Now, someone else claiming to be Madeleine is Eugenea Collins, a 22-year-old from Arkansas in the US.

In an interview with the MailOnline, she claimed she noticed similarities between herself and the missing child after seeing Wandelt appear on a 2023 episode of the US reality talk show, Dr. Phil.

“If it wasn't for me seeing her on the Dr. Phil Show I would've never known. In a way, her stupidity actually helped me find my family,' Collins told the publication.

“I saw the age progressions and it was like I was looking in a mirror. I just know I saw pictures of myself online and it says I'm missing.”

Eugenea Collins has come forward with the outlandish claim that she's the missing Brit (Facebook)

The woman claims she came to the conclusion she was Madeleine after being unable to get a copy of her birth certificate.

“I am unable to get any kind of identification,” she told the publication. “I couldn't even get any help from the people at The Red Cross when my house was burned because I have no identification.

“I have never seen an original birth certificate neither. The only thing I saw had someone else's name wrote on it and they marked that out and wrote mine above it.”

She also alleged that a man who she believes to be her father is actually the German suspect in the case, known as Christian B.

Since coming forward claiming to be Madeleine and allegedly contacting the Metropolitan Police, Collins has faced a deluge of criticism from social media users.

Some Reddit users were quick to comment that she didn’t have a coloboma in her right iris as Madeleine did.

According to the National Eye Institute, coloboma is a condition where part of the eye is missing from birth. It can affect both eyes or just one, like Madeleine, who was born in 2003.

Julia Wandelt, who has repeatedly claimed she is Madeleine McCann, was arrested upon arriving in the UK at Bristol Airport last week (BBC)

Another criticism Collins has allegedly faced is the fact her ears are a different shape. However, the US native reportedly has an answer to that.

“People keep saying something about [my] ears not being a match, but I have scars on mine,' she said. “[I] Never noticed them until they pointed out they were different, I had my boyfriend look at the back of them and they have scars on them.”

Collins has since undergone a DNA test, discovering she has largely British and Northwestern European heritage despite being from Arkansas. However, this doesn’t link her to the McCann family.

Amid Wandelt’s arrest, Collins added that she ‘knows’ her mom - AKA Kate - is ‘looking’ for her.

“I always had this feeling of longing and loneliness my whole life and I finally figured out why I felt that way,” she claimed.

“Especially after hearing that Julia stalker making her cry saying, she was her daughter. I heard that and it broke my heart because I'm right here.”