A Texas woman kidnapped as a baby 51 years ago was reunited with her family after they used a home DNA test kit to track her down.
Melissa Highsmith was 22 months old when she was allegedly abducted in August 1971 by a babysitter from her family's Fort Worth apartment, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Her mother, Alta Apantenco, was reportedly accused by police of possibly killing her daughter and hiding the crime, the station reported. The family, however, said Highsmith was taken from the home by a babysitter who answered Apantenco's newspaper advertisement seeking help.
They spent more than five decades looking for Highsmith before a DNA match on 23andMe provided a break in the case.
"Our finding Melissa was purely because of DNA, not because of any police / FBI involvement, podcast involvement, or even our family’s own private investigations or speculations," her family said Sunday on a Facebook page titled "We found Melissa!!!" "DNA WINS THIS SEARCH!"
I feel like everyone should bring up 23 and me or just DNA tests in general at all family gatherings. It should be the new politics. Wait to see if someone goes off the rail about it being a scam or whatnot, then see what they are hiding
At that point, I don’t think I’d want to know. I just don’t see what good would come from it.
Kinda like that “Our Father” show on Netflix where the physician inseminated 100+ women. If you live your whole life thinking that your parents are your parents, what good does it do for you to find out that your biological dad isn’t who you thought it was? IMO, I’d just rather not know. I also think the woman in the show who went around telling all of these people that their dad wasn’t really their biological dad is a piece of shite.
quote: Was she raised by the person who stole her?
No, she was raised by someone that bought her from an old lady for $500. The old lady said she was watching the child for a family member that did not want her back.
Of course I would want to know. I want to embrace the truth regardless of where it takes me.
It blows my mind that there are cowards more interested in concealing truth. But on the other hand, a friend of mine says he does not want to take a dna test because he is afraid he might learn his 2 sons are not his biological children (his first wife was a whore - which seemed pretty awesome at the time).
People who are adopted or who do not know the identity of a parent have a strong need to know where they came from. However, most adoptees are able to distinguish between the people who raised them lovingly as their parents and the people who gave birth to them.
These parents for 50+ years grieved and wondered what became of their child. Their grieving has come to an end. Most kids who are sold like this naturally feel something is not right with their family and they do not belong. Same case with hidden adoptions and believing a parent may not be a bio parent.
quote: An arrest cannot be made because the criminal statute of limitations expired 20 years after her 18th birthday, the police department said, noting that investigators are still working to uncover all available information about the kidnapping.
Feels like this should be one of those crimes where there is no statute of limitations.