Jan. 7 (UPI) — A Nebraska man said an at-home DNA test led to a shocking discovery — he and his brother have 18 half-siblings about whom they never knew.
Quinten Saathoff, of Franklin, said his younger brother used a 23andMe DNA kit and both men were shocked when it revealed they were donor-conceived, a fact that had never been revealed to them before.
Saathoff said he took his own 23andMe DNA test, and was surprised to find out he had 18 half-siblings from his biological father.
“I just remember thinking, ‘Wow!'” Saathoff told NTV.
Saathoff said he tracked down some of his previously unknown siblings and contacted them on social media.
“I can completely understand if you don’t want to respond to this, but if you do, it looks like we are half-siblings, and I was just curious to know if you had any other information about it, or if you’re interested in building a relationship,” Saathoff wrote.
He said he soon received responses from half-siblings in Nebraska, Texas, North Carolina, Maryland and North Dakota.
Saathoff said he has not attempted to contact his biological father, but he has seen photos.
“I was blown away. We almost look like we are twins,” he said.
Saathoff said he is hoping to meet some of his half-siblings at a get-together in the near future.
“I would just encourage any parent that is using this technology to conceive, be open with your kids, be honest with them as soon as you can, that way it won’t be as much of a shock to them in the future,” he said.
A pair of sisters met for the first time in Denver last month after a DNA test led to a similar discovery. Harriet Carter, 76, who was given up for adoption at birth, found out she had a younger sister, Linda Hoffman, 73, after both woman signed up for Ancestry.com and took DNA tests.
“I had a message from Harriet saying, ‘I think we might be related,'” Hoffman said. “We were 100% match, but our parents never told a soul ever.”
The sisters met for the first time when Carter arrived at Denver International Airport from her home in California.
