OpenTube

She Thought She Was a Missing Child: The DNA Results Changed Everything

DNAngels Org

25,622 views

She came to DNAngels believing she was adopted—and believing she had already found her biological mother.

She even believed she had discovered a baby photo of herself on a website for missing and exploited children.

There was only one person left to find: her biological father.

But when Search Angel Tara Crawford began following Mabel's DNA matches, something didn't add up. Not a single match connected Mabel to the family of the woman she believed was her biological mother.

So Tara stopped following the story and started following the DNA.

One group of matches led directly to the family of the man who raised Mabel.

Then a completely separate group led to the family of the woman who raised her.

And suddenly, the question wasn't "Who are Mabel's biological parents?"

It was "Why does Mabel believe they aren't?"

This is one of the strangest DNA mysteries we've encountered—and a powerful reminder that family stories, records, memories, and even deeply held beliefs don't always tell the same story as our DNA.

Watch until the end, then tell us what YOU think happened.

❤️ Drop a red heart in the comments for Mabel as she processes an answer she never expected.

ABOUT DNANGELS

DNAngels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people identify their biological parents through genetic genealogy. We assist adoptees, donor-conceived individuals, people with misattributed parentage or DNA surprises, and those who have never known the identity of a biological parent.

Our biological-parent identification services are provided at no cost to our clients because we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to know where they come from.

Learn more about DNAngels, request help, support our mission, or learn about genetic genealogy training through our organization.

Names and identifying details in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

#DNAngels #AncestryDNA #DNAResults #GeneticGenealogy #AdoptionDNA #DNAMystery #FamilySecrets #SearchAngel #BirthParents #DNAStory

20 Comments

@peggygraham6129 4 days ago

Seems like she doesn't want them to be her parents.

@LK57913 4 days ago

I feel bad for the mother who lost her child and may have believed Mabel was hers.

@kattatonic1 4 days ago

This was not a waste of your time. All of your work is about helping people understand where they came from and what their genetics are. However bumpy it may be, these facts should help her and her family move forward. Well done with your professionalism.

@MiaHughes-s3t 2 days ago

I don't look like my mother's family and my mother hated me. Friends would ask me if I was actually hers. I wanted to believe I was my dad's love child because that was the only thing that explained my mom's behavior. When I did a test it said she was my mom.

@sreengleen 4 days ago

As a child I fantasized that I had been adopted and was not really part of my family. I was the middle child, and felt in distinguished. I built up a collection of childish resentment and thought I might have another , cooler family that I would fit with. My mother devastated this fantasy when she pointed to the large mole on the back of my thigh that neatly corresponded to two large moles she had on the back of her thigh, telling me that I had her "trademark." It sounds like Mabel felt sad and misunderstood and was seeking a thrilling identity story.. Probably the more negative attention she gained with her fantasy, the harder she clung to it.

@olga138 4 days ago

I think Mabel would benefit from some sessions with a therapist. She apparently doesn't feel accepted by her parents and she needs to work this out in therapy. ❤❤❤

@patriciamoritz6785 2 days ago

Hmmm, this was tough! I have often wished I was from a different family, and all. Since my parents are now dead, I feel absolutely no connection with "their other kids", but my DNA proved my desire to not be related was debunked...I feel Mabel fits this category and hope she is moving on. We do not have to keep toxic people in our lives, even family!

@wiganlad2006 4 days ago

This sounds exactly like a case I worked on, her parents were from Jamaica. She was born in England. She believed she was adopted. DNA proved the parents who raised her were her biological parents. But she wouldn't have any of it! She came back to me months later, asking for me to take another look, she had another Search Angel look, and they said the same as me. I politely declined.

@evangelineellington9240 4 days ago

I’m glad you were able to give her confirmation on her parentage. It sounds like mental illness may be involved. I have a family member who creates narratives she truly believes to be true that are in fact entirely made up.

@Maxine-y1c 4 days ago

Sounds like 'Mabel' was hoping she had been adopted. Perhaps she never felt an accepted part of the family or maybe it was a delusion? I hope she finds peace in accepting who she is and where she's from.

@threepeasoup8733 4 days ago

"I guess I have to accept it." is an interesting response for someone to have when DNA disproves a wild conspiracy theory.

@MommyDontSeeMe 4 days ago

I'm flabbergasted! Good thing you straightened that out. What a bizarre story!

@figmo397 2 days ago

I wonder why she thought she was adopted when nobody said she was adopted? How can she identify someone as her biological mother without a DNA test result? That makes no sense.

@folkoftheforest 4 days ago

Is Mabel the family scapegoat? Her siblings may have teased Mabel that she was adopted. A parent was not around to immediately contradict that story, so Mabel spent her life believing she was adopted. Now her sibs are fighting with her and refused to take a DNA test to help her feel like she belongs in the family.

@sibylleherbe8260 4 days ago (edited)

Bizarre. How hurtful for her family. No wonder they fought with her.

@nancyannirvin4507 4 days ago

Sometime when she was a child one of her siblings must have told her she was adopted. My mother thought her little sister was adopted because the state put the sister in a baby home while her mother went through a divorce and found a new husband. Her older brother and her were put in a foster home near her mom so they saw her often. The little sister was nearly 3 before they all got back together.

@SuperNana23 2 days ago

I know this woman. I will not reveal. It really is sad.

@leacruz7311 4 days ago

Something wrong with her!

@ValarieBunn 4 days ago

I hope Mabel accepted the results.

@Lori-v8c 4 days ago

All I can say is wow,just wow,that's so hurtful for her family,and they should get angry. She's missing something "upstairs" You spent all that time when you could have been helping someone who truly needed it..........