38 years later, DNA test shows two U.S. men swapped identities at birth; families sue North Dakota hospital World News
A Christmas gift led to a life-changing discovery for two American families after DNA testing revealed that two men were accidentally swapped at birth nearly four decades ago. The families are now suing a North Dakota hospital, saying they were deprived of the life they would have shared with their biological relatives.Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison were both born on January 26, 1988, at United Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota. They were the only babies born at the hospital that day but were mistakenly sent home with each other’s parents, according to a lawsuit filed last week, The Associated Press reported.The truth came out after Pailin took a DNA test at home during a Christmas gift exchange. The results linked him to a biological aunt through a genealogy website, prompting Morrison to take a DNA test. It turns out they were raised by the wrong family.Bailin said he was shocked when the results of the investigation were released, calling the discovery something he and his family had never imagined. Morrison said when he saw a photo of the Pailin brothers, he was immediately attracted to his resemblance.The discovery has both families grappling with decades of missed milestones. Evelyn Newton, who raised Bailin, said she still considers Bailin her son but feels she was denied the opportunity to watch her biological child grow up.“Kyle is still my son. That will never change,” Newton told The Associated Press. She said she could never get back the years she missed, from her son’s first steps to learning to drive to getting married.Despite the revelations, Morrison said the DNA test results did not change his view of the parents who raised him.“I was loved. I played sports. I did well in school,” he said, adding that no DNA test could erase 38 years of memory.United Medical Center acknowledged the impact the discovery had on the families but said it found no evidence that hospital staff was responsible for the switch. “We recognize the profound impact this discovery has had on them and their families,” the hospital said in a statement, adding that because nearly four decades have passed, medical and personnel records that might explain what happened no longer exist and the delivery staff at the time are no longer employed by the hospital. However, Bailin said he still has the hospital-issued identification bracelet he was given at birth, which mistakenly identified him as Kyle Bailin.The two have since met their birth parents, a reunion they describe as exciting but also awkward as everyone adjusts to a relationship that was supposed to have begun decades ago. They have spoken by phone but have not yet met in person.The lawsuit alleges that the hospital’s alleged errors changed the course of the lives of two people and four families, leading them to come to terms with the truth that took them nearly 38 years to discover.
