The world seems to think this homeless girl is actually Madeleine McCann

Mystery is surrounding a young homeless girl living on the streets of Rome, who many people believe is missing toddler Madeleine McCann.

The blonde teenager, who refuses to accepts cash and is unable to speak Italian, has been spotted looking bedraggled as she wandered the streets.

She apparently responds to the name ‘Maria’. Police say she has given them several different names.

When pictures of her emerged on the Missing Persons of America (MPA) website, many speculated that she bears a likeness to Madeleine McCann, who vanished from an apartment in Portugal in 2007.

However, the theory was shot down because the teen does not have the same distinctive eye blemish as Maddie.

The MPA wrote on a website page dedicated to Maria: “There have been several people that think it may be Madeline McCann who would be 13 now.

“Madeline had a distinctive mark on her eye and it would be easy to tell if it was her by that identification.”

Lorena Kollobani, wrote about the teenager on the MPA website, saying: “I don’t know if she is even American. I’ve seen her in Rome streets. She sleeps outside and has mental problems I think.”

MPA described the girl as “confused, traumatised or mentally ill”.

They added: “We have reached out to the American embassy, non profits and local police, but no one is willing to go identify this girl…

“There is an Italian journalist who went to the girl but the girl was unresponsive so we are at square one.

“The Italian reporter said ‘she could be American or Eastern European. She surely isn’t Italian. She’s really scared and don’t like people’.”

Top pic: Missing Persons of America