A court revealed that a Polish woman, Julia Wandelt, facing charges of stalking Madeleine McCann, turned to an AI chatbot named ChatGPT to inquire if she could be the missing three-year-old. The chatbot suggested a potential connection based on DNA comparisons but stressed the need for additional evidence to confirm any such link.
During the legal proceedings at Leicester Crown Court, it was disclosed that Wandelt sought to compare her DNA with a sample found at the location where Madeleine vanished in Portugal. However, forensic analysis indicated that the DNA did not match Gerry McCann’s genetic profile.
The AI chatbot indicated to Wandelt that the DNA profiles were indicative of a father-child relationship. In a detailed examination of the chat logs, Wandelt was seen questioning whether she could be Madeleine McCann, prompting the chatbot to emphasize the necessity of further verification through a DNA test.
Prosecutors alleged that Wandelt propagated the false notion of being the missing girl while stalking Mr. McCann and his wife over an eight-month period. Wandelt reportedly engaged ChatGPT, assuming the second DNA sample belonged to Mr. McCann, although evidence disproved this assumption.
The chatbot responses suggested a potential biological link between Wandelt and Gerry McCann, leading her to consider the possibility of being Madeleine. However, DNA expert testimony presented in court strongly refuted the claim, emphasizing inconsistencies between Wandelt’s DNA and the floor DNA profile.
In a separate development, testimony revealed that Wandelt contacted a missing persons charity in Poland, initially drawing comparisons between herself and another missing girl from Germany. Despite initial doubts, Wandelt persistently pursued various claims of being different missing individuals, including Acacia Bishop, before eventually shifting focus to asserting a connection to Madeleine McCann.
The witness from the charity expressed disbelief in Wandelt’s claims, highlighting the lack of evidence to support her assertions. Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, both pleaded not guilty to a single charge of stalking. The trial is ongoing.