In a startling revelation from Scotland Yard, a senior police officer has confirmed that secret DNA testing definitively proved a woman accused of stalking was not Madeleine McCann, despite her persistent claims to be the missing British child.
The extraordinary disclosure came during court proceedings where the woman faced stalking allegations against a British doctor. According to police testimony, investigators conducted covert DNA analysis to verify the woman's identity after she repeatedly insisted she was Madeleine, who vanished from a Portuguese holiday apartment in 2007.
The Stalking Case That Triggered DNA Investigation
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stands accused of harassing a London-based doctor through hundreds of emails and social media messages. During the investigation into these stalking allegations, she made the "bombshell claim" that she was the missing child.
Detective Superintendent Mark Cranwell told Westminster Magistrates' Court that police took the woman's claims seriously enough to conduct secret genetic testing to establish the truth once and for all.
Scientific Certainty in a Decades-Long Mystery
"We obtained a DNA sample from the female and compared it to the DNA of Madeleine McCann's parents," Cranwell stated in court. "There is no familial match, and as a result, we can categorically say this is not Madeleine McCann."
The forensic analysis provides scientific closure to one of many false leads that have emerged during the 18-year investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Ongoing Harassment and Legal Proceedings
Despite the DNA evidence, the woman continues to maintain her false identity claims while facing charges of stalking the doctor between 2021 and 2024. The court heard she sent the medical professional over 200 emails and made numerous attempts to contact him through professional networks.
The Metropolitan Police's decision to conduct secret DNA testing underscores the sensitivity and complexity surrounding the Madeleine McCann case, which continues to generate global attention and numerous false claims.
The revelation comes as the woman remains in custody awaiting further legal proceedings, while the search for the real Madeleine McCann continues through Operation Grange, Scotland Yard's ongoing investigation into her disappearance.
