In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jason didn't learn he was adopted until his late 40s — and a simple request for his original birth certificate cracked open decades of family secrets. After a DNA test revealed zero biological connection to the woman who raised him, Jason turned to genetic genealogy and, within weeks, was face to face with the truth about where he came from. What followed was an emotional reunion with a birth mother living abroad, a newfound sister he'd dreamed of having since childhood, and a paternal twist that stunned even our DNA expert. We break down how unusual centimorgan numbers led to a discovery no one expected, and how Jason chose compassion and discretion over confrontation. It's a story about identity, forgiveness, and finding family in the most unexpected place.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — your support helps fund our pro bono DNA cases. Also, if you want to support our mission more directly, join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/findingfamilydna

Watch this podcast right now on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/EhP70ShvZZc

00:00 Intro & welcome to episode 46

00:42 Celebrating 10,000 subscribers

01:04 State laws on birth record access

02:34 California's stalled Senate Bill 381

04:09 Why original birth certificates matter

05:55 Introducing Jason

06:20 Discovering he was adopted at 48

08:39 Requesting his original birth certificate

10:24 DNA test reveals a zero percent match

13:28 Calling Jay and starting the investigation

14:23 Locating his birth mother's family

20:00 Break

20:45 The paternal twist Misty uncovered

21:47 Breaking down the DNA evidence

24:13 Jason's reaction to the birth father news

26:02 Traveling to Italy to meet his birth mother

28:08 Meeting his sister for the first time

33:02 A family dinner to remember

35:16 Jason's relationship with his birth mother today

36:38 Closing thoughts

Follow the show here:

https://www.instagram.com/findingfamilydna/

https://www.instagram.com/lasleuth

https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder/

Are you looking to find your birth parents? Get in touch with Jay and his team!

https://www.birthparentfinder.com

https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder

This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.

https://www.instagram.com/chobostudios

https://www.instagram.com/podshuttle

Adoption Reunion, Closed Adoption Search, DNA Genealogy, Adoptee Story, Italian Heritage, Birth Mother Found, Genetic Genealogy, Family Discovery, BirthParentFinder, New York Adoption

In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay sits down with Linda Burleson, a woman who spent over five years searching for the identity of her birth father after learning at age sixty-plus that the man who raised her was not her biological dad. What made Linda's case one of the longest in BirthParentFinder.com's history was the absence of any close DNA matches — just a wall of third, fourth, and fifth cousins that no genealogist could break through. Then, just two to three weeks after Linda had decided to give up entirely, a woman named Diane Bennett took an Ancestry DNA test on a whim — and changed everything. Linda and Diane are paternal half-sisters, and their first phone call felt completely natural, like they had known each other their whole lives. From a beach walk in North Carolina to a cruise already booked together, this is a story about the power of patience, the miracle of timing, and two women who found in each other exactly what they didn't know they were missing.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — your support helps fund our pro bono DNA cases. Also, if you want to support our mission more directly, join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/findingfamilydna

Watch this podcast right now on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/h-4RcTl60o0

00:00 Introduction & Show Update

01:31 Meet Linda Burleson

01:58 Learning the Truth

04:00 The Long DNA Search

05:41 Family Background & Houston Connection

07:27 Meet Diane Bennett

08:06 Why Diane Took the DNA Test

08:53 The Match & First Contact

17:37 The Meeting in Supply, NC

25:11 Medical History & Future Plans

29:31 Reflections & Closing Message

Follow the show here:

https://www.instagram.com/findingfamilydna/

https://www.instagram.com/lasleuth

https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder/

Are you looking to find your birth parents? Get in touch with Jay and his team!

https://www.birthparentfinder.com

https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder

This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.

https://www.instagram.com/chobostudios

https://www.instagram.com/podshuttle

Finding Family DNA, Half Sister Found, Birth Parent Search, DNA Reunion, Closed Adoption Story, Adoptee Story, Family Discovery, BirthParentFinder, Emotional Reunion, DNA Genealogy

In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay and co-host Misty Gillis introduce Carla Salvatierra, a 29-year-old woman born in Los Angeles County who has spent years searching for the truth about her biological father. After discovering that neither the man on her birth certificate nor the man her family insisted was her father shared any DNA with her, Carla found herself starting completely from scratch — with no name, no country, and no answers. With the help of Misty's careful DNA analysis and genealogical research into Guatemalan civil records, the team was able to narrow Carla's birth father down to one of three brothers living in the United States. Despite sending letters and making direct contact with one of the brothers, the family has gone silent — and in a first for the show, Carla comes on air to make a heartfelt, tearful plea directly to her birth father. A devoted mother of two who runs her own construction company, Carla isn't asking for money or a lifelong commitment — she simply wants to know where she comes from, see her father's face, and finally have the medical history her children deserve.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — your support helps fund our pro bono DNA cases. Also, if you want to support our mission more directly, join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/findingfamilydna

Watch this podcast right now on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/A3QY9_5aDf8

00:00 Intro

00:11 Welcome and case overview

00:51 When DNA matches don't respond

01:07 Misty's outreach strategy

02:16 Introducing Carla Salvatierra

03:02 Growing up not knowing her father

04:38 DNA tests rule out two possible fathers

08:03 What led Carla to BirthParentFinder

09:51 Taking the Ancestry DNA test

10:38 How Misty analyzed the DNA matches

12:04 Narrowing it down to three brothers

13:23 Sending letters with no response

14:01 Ad break

14:32 How Jay finally made contact

16:08 Ruben goes silent

17:20 Misty's theory on the birth father

18:16 Carla's reaction to the breakthrough

21:42 Carla's plea to her birth father

23:21 Carla's family and life today

24:39 Who Carla is — business, family, hobbies

27:06 A message to the birth father's family

27:43 Every child deserves the truth

30:07 Closing thoughts from Jay and Misty

Follow the show here:

https://www.instagram.com/findingfamilydna/

https://www.instagram.com/lasleuth

https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder/

Are you looking to find your birth parents? Get in touch with Jay and his team!

https://www.birthparentfinder.com

https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder

This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.

https://www.instagram.com/chobostudios

https://www.instagram.com/podshuttle

Finding Family DNA, Birth Father Search, DNA Genealogy, Guatemalan Heritage, Adoptee Story, Birth Parent Found, BirthParentFinder, Emotional Reunion, Closed Adoption Search, Family Discovery