An American woman from Arkansas has made the shocking assertion that she is actually missing child Madeleine McCann.
The woman is insisting she possesses ‘DNA proof’ to support her claim – however, her statements have been widely dismissed by experts and the public alike.
Eugenea Collins, 22, recently launched an unusual social media campaign, alleging that she is the missing British child who vanished in 2007 while vacationing with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Collins—blue-eyed and blonde-haired—revealed that she began questioning her true identity after watching Polish woman Julia Wandelt appear on Dr. Phil, claiming to be Madeleine McCann.
Although Wandelt’s claims were ultimately unproven, they sparked something in Collins. She said she noticed striking similarities between herself and the missing girl’s photos, fueling her suspicions.
“If I hadn’t seen her on Dr. Phil, I never would’ve questioned anything. In a strange way, her foolishness actually led me to my own family,” Collins remarked.
“When I saw the age-progressed images, it was like looking into a mirror. I found pictures online that looked just like me—and they said I was missing.”
Collins, born on October 23, 2002, is close in age to Madeleine McCann, who was born on May 12, 2003.
An ancestry DNA test revealed Collins is 68% English and Northwestern European, which she believes supports her theory. However, she admitted that no direct genetic link to the McCann family has been established.
Despite her conviction, Collins expressed frustration that Arkansas law enforcement has dismissed her claims. She also said she has attempted to reach out to Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police unit still investigating the McCann case.
Collins’ claims have been met with widespread skepticism online, as critics and social media users point to several inconsistencies.
One major issue raised is the absence of the rare eye defect that Madeleine McCann had—a defining feature widely publicized in the search for her.
“Not to be rude, but your eye doesn’t have that defect like hers,” one commenter observed.
Another added, “I’m not convinced because I don’t see the same mark on the eye in any photo.”
In response to these doubts, Collins suggested that certain physical differences—like her ear shape—could be due to scarring.
“People keep saying my ears don’t match, but I have scars on them,” she explained. “I’d never noticed until it was pointed out. I asked my boyfriend to look, and sure enough, there are scars on the backs of both.”
Collins further claimed that the man she was raised to believe was her father, Eugene Collins, bears a strong resemblance to Christian Brueckner—the convicted pedophile and main suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
“I saw pictures of the suspect and thought, ‘That looks like the man I was told is my biological father,’” she said. “I never had a relationship with him and was always told he wasn’t right in the head. But when I saw Christian Brueckner’s photos, I instantly recognized him.”
Brueckner, officially named a suspect in 2020, has a criminal record including child sexual abuse and drug offenses. He is currently incarcerated in Germany but is expected to be released later this year.
Collins also took aim at Wandelt, who was recently arrested for harassing the McCann family. Wandelt, who appeared on Dr. Phil in 2023 claiming she was Madeleine McCann until DNA tests disproved her, has come under further scrutiny.
“I just know that my mom is looking for me. I’ve always felt this longing and loneliness, and now I understand why,” Collins explained. “Hearing that Julia, a stalker, was making her cry by insisting she was her daughter broke my heart because I’m right here.”
Wandelt’s DNA, examined by private investigator Dr. Fia Johansson, confirmed she is entirely Polish with no ties to the McCann family. Johansson recalled, “At first, she refused to accept the DNA results and asked, ‘What if someone altered them?’ I told her to put a stop to it.”
Despite Collins’ unwavering belief that she is Madeleine McCann, experts and law enforcement remain unconvinced, citing a lack of convincing evidence.
