A phone belonging to Julia Wendell, the Polish woman who previously claimed to be the missing Madeleine McCann, has been seized by California police. Last month, DNA test results proved that Wendell, sometimes referred to in the press as Julia Wandelt, is 100% Polish and has no relation to McCann. However, while that should be the end of the story, she’s back in the headlines as part of an active police investigation.
According to Radar Online, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reached out to police in Wroclaw, Poland, where Julia Wendell lives. Authorities say they were in possession of a smartphone reportedly used by her when she was in California. Private investigator Dr. Fia Johansson said the phone had been turned in voluntarily. There was then a search and seizure performed. The OCSO confirmed this story but refused to give further details.
“We are not going to make any comments about the case. Our investigation is taking a deep look into it and we’re going to let them do their investigative duties. Then from that point [we’ll] let the judicial system take over – if it needs to,” spokesman Sgt. Mike Woodroof told the site.
As for why the phone was confiscated, that’s where things get even more disturbing. The Sun reports that Julia Wendell (Wendell) was allegedly reported over explicit images of children on the device. It’s believed that Dr. Johansson is the person who made the call to police. She apparently noticed the images after Wendell left the phone behind in California after returning home to Poland.
“Police are taking this very seriously and have assured me that a full investigation will be done,” Dr. Johansson told the publication. She added that the phone will be passed on to authorities in both Germany and Poland for further action.
Wendell has denied claims of possessing indecent images and said she has spoken to police in Poland about the accusations. “I didn’t have child pornography on my phone,” she told The Sun. “I am not a pedophile; I am a victim of a pedophile.”
Earlier this month, Wendell reveals that she plans to take a second DNA test in Poland. She still believes she is Madeleine McCann and the first test may have been flawed.
