An American woman has made the shocking claim that she is missing child Madeleine McCann.
Eugenea Collins, from Arkansas, 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.
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.
Blue-eyed, blonde-haired Collins explained that she started suspecting her true identity after watching Polish woman Julia Wandelt appear on Dr. Phil’s talk show.
Wandelt had previously made similar claims about being Madeleine, but these have ultimately not even been proven.
Collins said she noticed resemblances between herself and images of the missing girl, which fueled her suspicions.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Collins said: “If it wasn’t for me seeing her (Wandelt) on the Dr. Phil show, I would’ve never known. In a way, her stupidity actually helped me find my family.
“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.”
Collins was born on October 23, 2002, which places her close in age to Madeleine, who was born on May 12, 2003.
She took an ancestry DNA test, revealing she is 68 percent English and Northwestern European, which she believes supports her claim.
However, she acknowledged that no direct DNA link to the McCann family has been found.
Despite her assertions, Collins has shared frustration that Arkansas law enforcement has not taken her claims seriously.
She also mentioned attempting to contact Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police Department’s unit dedicated to investigating the McCann case.
Collins’ claims have drawn skepticism from social media users and critics, who pointed out several inconsistencies.
One of the most significant differences between Collins and Madeleine is the lack of the distinctive eye defect that Madeleine had.
A commenter said: “Not to be rude here, but your eye doesn’t have that defect in it like she does.”
Another added: “The reason I’m not convinced is because I don’t see the same spot on the eye in any photo.”
Addressing such criticisms, Collins argued that other differences, such as ear shape, could be explained by scars she has on her ears.
“People keep saying something about [my] ears not being a match, but I have scars on mine,” she claimed.
“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.”
Adding to her claims, Collins also alleged that the man she was raised to believe was her father, Eugene Collins, closely resembles Christian Brückner, a convicted p***phile and the primary suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
“I saw pictures of the suspect, and he looks like my biological father, or who I’ve been told is my biological father my whole life,” she alleged.
“I never had any relationship with this man whatsoever, and I was always told he was a little off in the head. When I first saw the photos of Christian Brückner, I instantly recognized that man.”
Brückner, identified as a suspect in 2020, has been convicted of multiple unrelated crimes, including child s**ual abuse and drug offenses.
He was released from prison in September 2025 after serving a sentence for the r*** of an American woman, then 72 years old, in Portugal in 2005.
Collins also criticized Wandelt, who was recently arrested for harassing the McCann family.
Wandelt previously appeared on Dr. Phil in 2023, maintaining that she was Madeleine until DNA tests disproved her claims.
“I just know that my mom is looking for me, and I have always had this feeling of longing and loneliness my whole life, and I finally figured out why I felt that way,” Collins said.
“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.”
While Collins remains steadfast in her belief that she is Madeleine, experts and law enforcement have yet to take her claim seriously due to the lack of substantial evidence.