Nearly eighteen years after the mysterious disappearance of Madeleine McCann from a Portuguese resort, a young woman has come forward, asserting that she might be the missing child.
Madeleine was only three years old when she vanished during a family vacation in Lagos, Portugal, in 2007. Despite extensive media coverage and ongoing investigations, the case remains unresolved, with abduction remaining the leading theory. Over the years, several women have claimed to be Madeleine.
One notable case involved Julia Wandelt, a Polish woman whose claims drew significant attention after she suggested her DNA results indicated a connection to Madeleine’s father, Gerry McCann. Wandelt was later arrested in the UK for allegedly stalking the McCann family.
Now, another woman has emerged: Eugenea Collins, a 22-year-old from Arkansas, who told the MailOnline that her suspicions about her identity arose after facing persistent challenges in obtaining identification documents.
“I’m unable to get any kind of identification,” Collins stated. “I couldn’t even get help from the Red Cross after my house burned down because I lack proper ID.” She added that she has never seen her original birth certificate. “The only document I encountered had someone else’s name on it, which was crossed out and replaced with mine,” she explained.
Her claims have sparked a heated online debate. A significant point of contention is that she does not have coloboma, the rare eye defect that Madeleine was known to have in her right eye, which contributed to her distinctive appearance.
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“She doesn’t show any eye markings and has photos that appear to be from an age younger than Madeleine when she went missing,” one Reddit user commented.
Another participant added, “She has shared pictures of herself at one or two years old, and there’s no indication of the eye defect at all.”
Many online reactions have been skeptical. “Not trying to be rude, but you don’t have that defect like she does,” one commenter noted.
Some observers suggested that attention-seeking might be a motive for Collins’s claims. “It’s more likely she’s trying to gain followers on platforms like OnlyFans. She doesn’t have the eye scar, and Madeleine’s earlobes were detached, while fake Maddies have attached earlobes. That doesn’t change,” remarked one Instagram user.
Collins has presented DNA results showing her genetic background is predominantly British and Northwestern European, but there are no definitive links to the McCann family.
In another surprising twist, Collins claimed she believes her biological father may be Christian Brueckner, the only named suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
“I saw pictures of the suspect, and he resembles what I’ve been told about my biological father my whole life,” she explained. “I never had any relationship with this man, but people always mentioned he was a bit unstable.”
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“When I first saw the photos of Christian Brueckner, I instantly recognized that man,” she added. While her claims have sparked curiosity and speculation, they remain unverified and unconfirmed by authorities, similar to previous assertions made in connection to Madeleine’s case.
