Madeleine lookalike gives DNA sample to end rumour
The girl, who has not been named, is understood to have a similar eye defect to Madeleine, prompting members of the public to believe she is the missing child.
The DNA sample is a conclusive way of proving her identity, said Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis of Dunedin Police.
“The results of this process will not be known for some time,” he told New Zealand newspaper The Southland Times.
On New Year’s Eve, police launched a five-day investigation when a retailer became suspicious of a man and a young girl, who bore a resemblance to Madeleine.
However, they said they were “absolutely satisfied” she was not Madeleine, and it was not the first time she had been mistaken for the missing British girl.
Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family’s Portuguese holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007.
Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry e McCann, have never abandoned their high-profile campaign to find their eldest daughter, who would now be nine.
Sightings have also been reported in Sweden, Belgium, and Australia.
