A 22-year-old American woman has come forward claiming to be Madeleine McCann, just days after a Polish woman who made a similar claim was arrested for stalking McCann’s parents.
Eugenea Collins, from Arkansas, told DailyMail.com that she first suspected she might be Madeleine after seeing Julia Wandelt appear on Dr. Phil. Her doubts about her identity intensified when she was unable to obtain her birth certificate while trying to secure a new ID.
Claims of a Connection to Christian Brueckner
Collins also believes that her biological father is Christian Brueckner, the convicted pedophile and main suspect in the McCann case.
“I saw pictures of the suspect, and he looks like my biological father, or at least who I’ve been told is my biological father my whole life,” she said.
She added that she has never had a relationship with him and was always told he was “a little off in the head.”
“When I first saw the photos of Christian Brueckner, I instantly recognized that man.”
Childhood Memories and Missing Identity Documents
Collins claims that she wrote about her kidnapping in school, describing herself wearing a dress similar to one worn by Madeleine before her disappearance.
“I have never seen an original birth certificate. The only document I found had someone else’s name written on it, with my name written over it.”
She also stated that she has struggled to obtain any form of identification, which caused issues when she sought assistance from the Red Cross after her home burned down.
DNA Test and Social Media Reactions
Despite her claims, Collins has no DNA connection to the McCann family. She has, however, taken an Ancestry test, which shows she is 68% English and Northwestern European. She hopes this will support her belief that she is Madeleine McCann, who vanished in 2007 during a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Social media users have been largely skeptical of her claims.
“The reason I’m not convinced is because I don’t see the same eye defect in any photo,” one user wrote.
Another added:
“Not to be rude, but your eye doesn’t have that defect like she does.”
In response to critics, Collins defended herself, stating:
“People keep saying something about my ears not matching, but I have scars on mine. I never noticed them until people pointed it out.”
Authorities Contacted
Collins claims she has tried to contact the Metropolitan Police, but her local police department in Arkansas has not taken her seriously.
Both the Metropolitan Police and Arkansas State Police have been contacted for comment.
