DNA match reunites missing daughter with her family 51 years after she was kidnapped, family says - CNN

CNN  — 

A household successful Fort Worth, Texas, has been reunited with their girl who was kidnapped arsenic a babe much than 5 decades agone acknowledgment to a DNA lucifer from the ancestry work 23andMe, the household announced Sunday.

Melissa Highsmith was conscionable 22-months aged successful 1971 erstwhile she was allegedly abducted by a pistillate who was hired to babysit her, according to aggregate posts by the household implicit the years.

Highsmith – raised nether the sanction Melanie – has lived successful Fort Worth for overmuch of her life, ne'er knowing she was missing, according to CNN affiliate KTVT.

She had nary thought her household was searching for her until they reached retired to her done Facebook, she told the affiliate. At first, she thought the connection whitethorn beryllium a scam.

“My begetter texted maine connected messenger and helium told me, ‘You know, I’ve been looking for my girl for 51 years,’” Highsmith told KTVT.

The household recovered Highsmith done a DNA lucifer with 1 her children connected 23andMe, KTVT reported.

“The idiosyncratic that raised me, I asked her, ‘Is determination thing you request to archer me?’ and it was confirmed that she knew that I was babe Melissa, truthful that conscionable made it real,” Highsmith told the affiliate.

Highsmith’s parents reunited with her for the archetypal clip Saturday and did further “official and ineligible DNA testing,” the household wrote online.

“Although successful the infinitesimal we saw her pictures, recovered retired astir her birthmark, and realized her ‘birthday’ is truthful adjacent to our Melissa, WE KNEW beyond a shadiness of a uncertainty that this was OUR GIRL,” the household added successful a Facebook station announcing the news.

A profile of Highsmith’s case by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System notes that the missing babe had a birthmark connected her precocious back. The study besides includes a sketch of the alleged babysitter and property progression photos of Melissa.

“I conscionable couldn’t judge it,” her mother, Alta Apantenco, told KTVT done tears, recalling the reunion. “I thought I would ne'er spot her again.”

“Our uncovering Melissa was purely due to the fact that of DNA, not due to the fact that of immoderate constabulary / FBI involvement, podcast involvement, oregon adjacent our family’s ain backstage investigations oregon speculations,” 1 of the Highsmith household members wrote connected Facebook.

The Fort Worth Police Department said successful a connection Monday it was “overjoyed” that 23andMe led the household to Melissa, but added it would beryllium conducting authoritative DNA investigating to corroborate Melissa’s identity.

The transgression statute of limitations expired 20 years aft Melissa’s 18th birthday, but the section said it would proceed the probe to “uncover each of the disposable accusation concerning Melissa’s abduction that occurred 51 years ago.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported astatine the clip of Highsmith’s disappearance that her parent said she enactment an advertisement successful the insubstantial looking for a babysitter to attraction for her babe portion she worked.

Apantenco reportedly told the Star-Telegram that a pistillate responded to the ad, offering to ticker Melissa astatine her home. When the pistillate arrived to prime up the baby, she said, Apantenco’s roommate was looking aft the child. The roommate handed of the babe to the woman, she told the paper, and the pistillate ne'er returned.

The incident, according to the Highsmith family, has ever haunted Apantenco, who went connected to person 4 much children.

“My ma did the champion she could with the constricted resources she had. She couldn’t hazard getting fired. So, she trusted the idiosyncratic who said they’d attraction for her child,” Sharon Highsmith, Melissa’s younger sister, said successful a quality release. “For 50 years, my ma has lived with the guilt of losing Melissa. She’s besides lived with assemblage and nationwide accusations that she wounded oregon killed her ain baby. I’m truthful gladsome we person Melissa back. I’m besides grateful we person vindication for my mom.”

The household says they privation others who are missing loved ones to support believing.

“Never springiness up hope,” Sharon said. “Chase each lead.”