A family in Fort Worth, Texas, has been reunited with their daughter who was kidnapped as a baby more than five decades ago thanks to a DNA match from the ancestry service 23andMe, the family announced [November 27].
Melissa Highsmith was just 22-months old in 1971 when she was allegedly abducted by a woman who was hired to babysit her, according to posts by the family over the years.
Highsmith – raised with the name Melanie – has lived in Fort Worth for much of her life, never knowing she was missing, according to CNN affiliate KTVT.
She had no idea her family was searching for her until they reached out to her through Facebook, she told the affiliate. At first, she thought the message may be a scam.
The family found Highsmith through a DNA match with one her children on 23andMe, KTVT reported.
“The person that raised me, I asked her, ‘Is there anything you need to tell me?’ and it was confirmed that she knew that I was baby Melissa, so that just made it real,” Highsmith told the affiliate.
Highsmith’s parents reunited with her for the first time Saturday and did further “official and legal DNA testing,” the family wrote online.
