Sherry took a DNA test on Ancestry for fun and realized that the father she adored, the man who raised her, was not her biological father. This was apparent when her sister tested also and their shared DNA percentages indicated that they were half-siblings. We were able to narrow the search for her father down to one man (Mr. Parker) who lived in South Florida. Sherry did a little family research on her own and discovered that this man was her parent’s married neighbor 50 years ago. She immediately reached out to Mr. Parker who quickly confessed to the relationship with her mother and declared he’d been waiting for her phone call for 50 years! He told her that she is his only child, and he is 87 years old! They were able to connect and develop a meaningful relationship. Mr. Parker passed away recently and Sherry is so grateful to have had the privilege to know him. Had she waited any longer to search for him, it would have been too late to meet him!

Many years ago (1985), in a small South Carolina town, a child was conceived by two strangers who had too much to drink at a party. The woman gave birth to her daughter and named her Kim. According to Kim’s mother, she never saw the father again. Kim’s dream was to discover the identity of her biological father. She hoped to meet him and find out about his life. She tested on Ancestry and within minutes of analyzing her results, I was able to tell her his name. Together, (but in different cities) she and her potential birth father took an independent paternity test. They matched with a 99.99% Parent/Child match. As you can imagine, finding out that you have a grown child can be life changing. Accepting this news with grace and compassion is not always the norm, but happens quite often. In this case, she was believed, accepted and lovingly welcomed.

Jodi became more curious about her birth parents after her adopted parents passed away. She had longed to learn her story and hoped to someday know them and hear the mystery of her conception. I was able to research and discover the story of both of her parents, who at this point had both passed away. Her father died at age 25 in an attempted prison break in Texas. It was a tragic story of a troubled childhood which carried on into his adult years with a vengeance. Her birth mother, it was discovered, was killed by her husband about 20 years ago. Sadly this is not the news Jodi was hoping for at all. Research and public records have answered many of her questions but there is much more to her mystery that may never be revealed. Stories like this demonstrate that uncovering adoption details are not for the faint of heart and one must be prepared for any scenario. 

 Robert, age 49 was adopted and was encouraged by his daughter to find out who his biological parents were. Although somewhat apprehensive, Robert tested with Ancestry, not knowing what to expect. I was able to pinpoint his maternal side and determined that his biological grandparents had several daughters. With some trepidation I told him I believed the youngest daughter, who was very, very young at the time of his conception and birth, was his biological mother. It took some time and thought for Robert to absorb and reconcile my findings. After a few months he made the courageous decision to write her a letter. She responded right away and confirmed that yes, she is his birth mother and that she had been looking for him for some time. 

Jackie was looking for her half-sister who was placed for adoption. Her sister would now be in her early 20s. Because her mother was allowed to communicate with the adopted sister when she was much younger, she knew just the first name of the sister she was looking for. She also knew only the first name of her half-sister’s adopted parents and the possible state that they lived in at one time. These tiny details can make all the difference when searching for someone who was placed for adoption. Cases like this are much more challenging because doing a DNA test to find a sibling is much harder than looking for a birth parent. When searching for a sibling, the searchee would have to actually test to be found. When looking for a birth parent, they do not need to test to be able to follow the DNA breadcrumbs. I was able to find her sister, only because I did have those tiny details to aid in the search. Her sister was found within minutes and was at that time a college student in Texas. Jackie sent me a video of herself shedding happy tears before she reached out to her newly found half-sister, who was elated to have been found!