tonight, on a two-hour "20/20" saturday, desperate people in the search of a lifetime. >> how do you leave your child in a paper bag in an alleyway? >> just hours old, she was left by a dumpster, for a stranger to find. he was left on a front doorstep. >> as a baby this is where i was abandoned. why did you choose this house? >> she was left at a grocery store. the "happy market." >> she left me right next to the newspapers. >> who is abandoning newborns in paper bags, all within the same square mile? and what do they have in common? >> have you ever seen anything like this? >> it just blew my mind. >> tonight, the news story that exploded. >> both abandoned at birth. >> into a national mystery and took 30 years to solve. >> i definitely want to get my fingers into that case.

>> our dna detective -- >> wow. >> -- connecting the dots and the dna to discover their secret bond. >> i'll give you a hug. >> you guys weren't letting go. >> "20/20" there every step of the way as they search for answers, good or bad, even if it becomes the ultimate betrayal. >> do you think you can handle it? >> i can handle it. i just -- this breaks my heart. >> and the final twist that nobody sees coming. >> the three babies have grown up and are finding each other and are going to find you. >> tonight, "20/20." "the searchers." good evening. i'm david muir. tonight, two gripping hours of people trying to find the ultimate mystery. one that began the moment they were born. who gave birth to them and then abandoned them? it's a story elizabeth v >> i think it was a saturday

morning. i ran around the corner to get some milk. >> reporter: a last-minute bike ride at dawn. 26-year-old mother of two joann hauser runs out to grab milk for that morning's breakfast. >> i went by the same way i usually go, and i thought i heard something like a cat. >> reporter: she detours from her morning errands, noticing a paper bag next to a dumpster. she moves in for a closer look. >> so i went over and i looked into this bag and there was a baby in the bag. >> reporter: a baby. astonishingly, naked with the umbilical cord still attached. wrapped only in a towel, someone had left her there. no note, no identification, nothing. >> i picked up the bag. and i rode back lickety-split to my house. and i dialed 911.

>> reporter: the local television station kabc captures this video of baby jane doe, a newborn just hours old, in an incubator at the hospital, where the nurses hang a sign on her cradle, "i know i'm somebody." the local newspaper hails the woman on the bicycle as an "angel of mercy." joann, the good samaritan, stops by the hospital every day for a week, checking up on the beautiful abandoned baby. >> she looked like a little doll. a little tiny doll, just perfect. >> reporter: the nurses nickname the baby "lady diana," after the princess who got married, as the world watched, four days earlier. it was 1981, foreigner's "urgent" was tearing up the charts, big hair and big money became emblematic of the go-go '80s. greed was good. but there are no gilded mansions in this unassuming, working class community of lawndale,

california clustered in the shadow of los angeles. where liquor stores dot the thoroughfares and hawthorne boulevard, where baby doe was found, held a gritty distinction back then. what's its reputation? >> prostitution. >> reporter: cece moore is a genetic genealogist whose specialty is foundlings, the name for abandoned babies. >> initially i thought perhaps the mother was a prostitute that was working on hawthorne boulevard and really didn't have a lot of options. >> reporter: no options, because in 1981 there were no safe haven laws, which allow parents to hand over a baby to law enforcement or hospitals, no questions asked. so who abandoned that baby? one of those call girls? or was it a teenager from the local high school just down the street? no one ever claims lawndale's baby doe.

fast forward 34 years. that baby is now all grown up. >> you take this, winona. >> reporter: janet barnicot lives north of los angeles, about 100 miles from where she was found. >> this is my dad. >> reporter: after a year in foster care janet got lucky. she was adopted. tell me about your adoptive parents. >> they found out they couldn't have children, so they started to do the adoption process. >> reporter: janet has an idyllic childhood, boisterous birthday parties, dance lessons and even her own pony named crocodile dundee. around the time janet entered junior high school she started to pepper her parents with questions about her past. >> do i have siblings? who are my parents? why was i adopted? why didn't they want me? >> reporter: the barnicots sat her down for a candid conversation. >> i just remember sitting at the kitchen table, and they had pulled out the newspaper articles about the lady who

found me riding her bike. >> reporter: janet always knew she was adopted, but when she found out she was abandoned she was shaken to the core. >> i got really mad and angry and i held onto that for quite a long time. >> reporter: mad and angry at? >> at my birth mother for, you know -- it felt like she tossed me away. it was tearing me up inside and i couldn't handle that anymore. >> reporter: janet is now a mother to her five children. >> once having my own children, you figure out what that natural, true love is. and i just couldn't understand how she didn't have that for me. >> reporter: because janet is a foundling, she has no identifying information. no medical records, no birth certificate. >> it's a total blank slate as far as identity. there's no history, there's no roots. >> reporter: desperate for any clues, janet turned to that

34-year-old newspaper article and comes up with a name. that good samaritan who found her in the paper bag, joann hauser. >> she was my last connection to my birth mother. >> reporter: she uploaded a picture of herself holding a sign looking for that woman on the bike. >> i'm so excited. hi! >> reporter: and that led to this emotional, heartfelt reunion with her guardian angel in 2013, all captured on video by a friend. >> she told me i wasn't crying, more of like a whimper. >> reporter: i imagine you also must have thanked her that day. >> oh, i did. yes. she could have just kept going. and i wouldn't be sitting here today. >> reporter: they became facebook friends and agreed to stay in touch. but in terms of janet's family tree, joann is a dead end,

offering no clues about janet's mysterious abandonment. >> the only other way that they can learn about their heritage and their birth family is dna. >> reporter: she sends a saliva sample to ancestry.com and almost immediately baby doe hits paydirt. a notification she has a match. >> i was like, "what? wait a minute." >> reporter: but not just any match. a match on her maternal side. it's a brother sharing the same mother. his name, dean hundorf. elated, janet looks him up on facebook, and staring back at her is a mirror image of herself. >> and i was like, "oh, my goodness. it's a boy version of me." >> reporter: well, that must have been a thunderbolt. i mean, to think all your life, i will never know anything about my biological family. now, boom? >> it was amazing. it was so great. >> reporter: when we come back, what's the bombshell about that

brother's past that could be the biggest clue yet? >> it's an extraordinary thing for a mother to abandon one baby. but to abandon two? stay with us. ♪ ♪

ancestrydna can open you to a world of new cultures to explore. with two times more detail than any other dna test... you can get a new taste of your heritage. only $59- our site's lowest price ever. your toothpaste may taste fresh, but is it removing enough harmful plaque from hard to reach areas? try arm & hammer complete care. its unique 50% baking soda formula neutralizes acid and removes up to 5x more plaque. try arm & hammer complete care.

hey mom, i'm soo hungry. can i have a snack? here you go. ♪ ♪ i've got her right in the palm of my hand. she has no idea how good this is. finally, a snack i want her to eat. none of her precious high fructose corn syrup. finally, a yummy snack. my parenting is so on point. i own you kathy. new jif power ups chewy granola bars. both the taste and the goods so everyone's in power.

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20." it is christmas time 1986 in lawndale, california. the town doesn't know it yet, but someone is abandoning newborn babies. here on 149th street, a completely different nativity scene. no manger, just a doorstep. no swaddling clothes for this infant. in fact, in this 47 degree

weather, no clothes at all. just a brown paper bag. >> i brought the dog out. >> reporter: when danny huerta takes his dog for a late-night walk he stumbles on a package left on his doorstep. >> my foot hit something right here and i reached down and there was a bag. i picked it up and it felt heavy. you know, something's in here. and there was a baby in there. baby boy. >> reporter: just like janet barnicot, this baby boy is only hours old, the umbilical cord still attached, also left in a paper bag. heurta's house is just more than a mile away from the alley where janet barnicot was found as a baby five years earlier. once again, a local news crew captures the footage of deputy timothy cain arriving on the scene, carrying the little bundle to a nearby hospital. 29 years later, he remembers it like it was yesterday. >> it was extremely dark that night. it was cold.

he appeared to be two to three hours old. you know, it's just a young baby and nobody there to take care of it. you wonder how somebody can leave a baby in a bag. >> reporter: flash forward 29 years. that baby is a grown-up father with his own baby boy. >> peekaboo. >> reporter: dean hundorf lives with his wife, adrian, in wisconsin. he's the long l.o.s.t. brother janet has found through dna. like his sister, dean was also adopted by a loving family. lots of kids who are adopted grow up with lots of questions. what were yours? >> i can remember one major thing that sticks out in my mind, what my ethnicity was. i was a big kid growing up. my friends thought, you know, maybe i was samoan or something like that. >> reporter: trips to the beach, happy christmas mornings, little league games, dean had a childhood to be envied. but nevertheless, he felt incomplete.

>> i always was wondering where i came from, who my parents were. i tried to push it aside just to forget about it. but, you know, it was always there. >> reporter: when janet and dean begin to compare notes online, they realize not only are they both adoptees but unbelievably, they discovered they were both abandoned by the same mother. >> i said i was abandoned at birth and i don't have any information about any of my family. and then that's when she said, well, you know, the same thing had happened to her. i'd imagine she did the same thing i did, was like, "whoa. what's going on?" >> reporter: a dna detective for 16 years, genealogist cece moore says the story of janet and dean may be a first. >> at that point i had never seen it before. >> reporter: it's an extraordinary thing for a mother to abandon one baby. but to abandon two? >> yeah, it's hard to imagine what her circumstances must have been. >> reporter: dean flies 2,000 miles to los angeles to meet janet for the first time.

it is so extraordinary for two foundlings to be related and then find each other, the local news is there to cover it. what was that like, to put your arms around your sister for the first time in your life? >> it was like we had known each other forever and there was never -- like, we never skipped a beat. >> it was a brother hug. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: once again, janet's on facebook, celebrating the new bond forged by blood. but that vexing question remains -- what kind of mother abandons not one but two babies just five years apart, and a mile away from each other? >> in a case like this that's really unique, i definitely want to get my fingers into that case and try to do some detective work to see what i can find. >> reporter: meanwhile, dean is doing some detective work of his own. just like janet, dean feels the need to go back to the people who found him.

he lands on that doorstep once again where he was orphaned. and there, another lucky break. >> i'm danny. >> danny. hello. i'm dean. >> reporter: the same family still lives there. >> come on in. >> it's good to see you. >> reporter: as he did 29 years ago on this stoop, danny huerta takes dean in his arms. danny also spent the last three decades wondering what happened to that baby. >> this is the baby you and dad found. >> reporter: inside, dean is introduced to danny's family. >> thank you so much. >> i always wondered where's that baby? >> i had a good life, but just recently i wanted to get some answers. >> reporter: and in his honor, they have a warm surprise. >> we thought about you, all your birthdays. we didn't forget. >> reporter: but as meaningful as it is to reconnect with the

people from his past, none of them can provide any clues to dean to how or why or who abandoned him at birth. once again janet and dean have hit a brick wall. the hunt for the biological mother became the priority. how did you help them make their first breakthrough? >> so when i work with people of unknown parentage, one of the most important things is that they utilize all the resources. >> reporter: cece knows finding their birthmother is a long shot. she believes the only way they might do it is to widen the dna net. so in addition to ancestry.com, she adds their dna to databases 23&me and familytreedna. >> that widens our pool from about a million people to about 2 1/2 million. we call it "fishing in three ponds." and sure enough, they get a bite. >> wow. >> reporter: only not the bite their were expecting. >> i saw that they had another really close match. >> reporter: it's yet another sibling.

a sister neither of them knew they had. >> and i was like, "holy cow. are you serious?" >> reporter: surely this sister has answers. she must know who their mother is. no one abandons three babies. or do they? >> when i saw that in the middle of the night, i just was knocked off my chair. i mean, literally. >> the wheels instantly started turning. what's going on here? >> reporter: stay with us. where's frank? it's league night! 'saved money on motorcycle insurance with geico! goin' up the country. bowl without me. frank.' i'm going to get nachos. snack bar's closed. gah! ah, ah ah. ♪ ♪ i'm goin' up the country, baby don't you wanna go? ♪ ♪ i'm goin' up the country, baby don't you wanna go? ♪ geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. light bladder leaks are just part of being a woman. but we can still wear whatever we want.

poise® ultra thin pads* move with your body, and stay 5x drier than the leading always period pad, so life with little leaks can just be life. get a coupon at poise.com (thomas) nice choices! you see, now verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plans like you mix and match your flavors. so you get what you want, without paying for things you don't. number 6. i know. where do i put it? in my belly. (vo) one family. different unlimited plans. starting at $40 per line on the network you deserve.

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20." >> reporter: dna detective cece moore has been up all night. she can't get out of her head the notion that someone has been abandoning babies. she's determined to help those two now grown up half siblings janet and dean find their mystery birth mother.

and at 2:00 a.m., she strikes gold. a dna match to yet a third sibling. but all she's got to go on is the woman's date of birth. >> so i went into the california birth index, put her date of birth, and someone came up. her name was julie christine doe. that's what they use for a foundling. >> reporter: what went through your head? >> i could not believe it. we had two foundlings, now we have three foundlings. >> reporter: two is shocking enough. three is unprecedented. and although they had different fathers, all three shared the same mother. who is she? did she do this by herself? why would she abandon them? cece's research culling old newspapers reveals a familiar refrain. a baby, hours old, umbilical cord still attached. wrapped in a towel. >> so julie was left at the happy market. >> reporter: it's a nice name. >> yeah.

if you had to be left somewhere. >> reporter: it was in the wee hours of a january morning in 1985. this time a delivery man dropping off the morning papers, discovers a baby wearing a blue jumpsuit. but the mystery remains. who during the '80s would get pregnant three times, give birth three times, and then put the baby in a sack and drop it for someone to find? >> i've always known i was adopted. >> reporter: julie hutchison, like the others, would be adopted into a loving home. birthday cakes, kittens and petting zoos punctuated her childhood. fast forward, she's now 31, working as an artist, living in baltimore. how old were you, when your parents got you? >> i was a newborn, just a couple days. >> reporter: they're amazing parents? >> i don't think i would have, you know, come as far in life as i have, you know, without parents like them to guide me, to push me. >> reporter: "20/20" brings julie 2,600 miles from baltimore to los angeles to meet her

biological brother and sister. >> this is a big thing. >> i hope she has our same laugh. >> i just want to know, like, how was their life growing up adopted? >> there she is. >> okay. >> i'm nervous. >> this is it. >> okay, i might cry. give me a hug. >> reporter: it's an embrace that none of them ever dreamed they would share. and the connection is immediate. >> oh, we have the same laugh. >> yes. >> i know. >> three peas in a pod. they had the same sense of humor. they were cracking each other up. there is something about biological and genetic bonds that survives any sort of separation. >> reporter: with "20/20" in tow, they hop in the car, retracing the locations where they were left. would there be a pattern that could give them any clues? >> you're thinking why of all places -- >> reporter: for dean a random house on a residential street.

>> i guess it seems kind of busy, so maybe she thought people would see me right away. >> reporter: just a short two-minute walk down this lawndale block to where julie was found. >> she must have cared a little bit because she left me where the delivery guy would find me. >> reporter: finally, janet sees the alley where she was left next to a dumpster. >> kind of creepy. >> yeah, it is. >> reporter: as they travel, something does become crystal clear. with each of these locations only within a mile from one another, the mother most likely lives here. could she be one of the neighbors? is she peering out from behind the curtains in one of these houses? >> lots of questions that we'll get the answers to. i'm not going to let this dumpster define who i am. >> reporter: but for all the brick walls they're hitting, cece moore's dna analysis is about to knock one down. there is another close dna match to all three kids.

>> we got very lucky. we found a first cousin. >> reporter: a first cousin. on their mother's side. his name is adrian. and here's where it gets interesting. because cece looks up adrian up on facebook, and there she is stunned. as she scrolls down adrian's list of friends, a name this patchwork family already knows well. joanne hauser. remember her? >> there was a baby in the bag. >> reporter: that good samaritan who found janet while riding her bike. >> it is an extraordinary coincidence that the woman who discovered janet as a baby -- >> yeah. >> reporter: is friends -- >> yes. >> reporter: -- with janet's biological cousin. >> right. so when i first looked at it, i thought, why are they friends? >> reporter: but if you do family searches as long as cece moore has, you will know that there are far fewer coincidences than deeply buried secrets. she immediately begins to build

out adrian's family tree and finds that adrian's mother has two sisters and joann is one of them. making joann either the siblings' aunt, or even more shocking, their mother. it's the conversation cece never thought she'd have with those three foundlings. for an already fractured family, this news may shatter them. >> all three of you have a first cousin match named adrian. adrian's mom and your mom are sisters. >> now, his mother has two full sibling sisters. and so joann is one of them. >> wow. >> so the woman that found you is either your mother or your aunt. >> reporter: it takes a moment for the reality to sink in, especially for janet. then, an enormous sense of betrayal. joann either gave birth to them or her sister did and she helped her cover it up. either way, she was withholding vital information when she met

janet in 2013. >> i met her, sat in her house. >> hi. oh. >> hugged her. it breaks my heart. >> i'm so sorry. >> that we all had to go through, you know, all this. just the fact i sat in her house is what's eating me alive. >> reporter: janet is furious and wants to confront joann. >> she has agreed to see us today. >> wow. >> yeah. >> are you guys ready for this? >> yeah, i want some answers. >> reporter: a doorstep, a grocery store, a dumpster. who left them there? their aunt? or their mother? after a long, arduous journey, the truth is now just one step away. >> it's not six degrees of separation. we're down to one. >> reporter: stay with us. and here's where we shrink the biggest names in entertainment

so we can fit them into our unlimited wireless plan. who's first? no. this isn't permanent, right? ask him. [terry squeals.] get unlimited data, live tv, and your choice of an extra on us. more for your thing. that's our thing. visit att.com indulge in nature valley's crunchy, sweet, and salty perfection. nature valley™ express yourself.. brow stylist shape and fill pencil by l'oréal. the easy-to-use triangular tip shapes and fills. the spoolie brush blends. brow power! brow stylist shape and fill from l'oréal paris. statake an extra 20% off!'s friends & family sale save on lc lauren conrad denim - $29.59

new balance shoes are $55.99 and bath towels are just $7.19. plus, get kohl's cash! starting thursday - at kohl's. when your blanket's freshness fades before the binge-watching begins... that's when you know, it's half-washed. next time, add downy fabric conditioner. downy conditions fibers with a long-lasting fresh scent. so your blanket will stay fresh through next week's finale. downy and it's done. bundle and save big, but now it's time to find my dream abode. -right away, i could tell

his priorities were a little unorthodox. -keep going. stop. a little bit down. stop. back up again. is this adequate sunlight for a komodo dragon? -yeah. -sure, i want that discount on car insurance just for owning a home, but i'm not compromising. -you're taking a shower? -water pressure's crucial, scott! it's like they say -- location, location, koi pond. -they don't say that.

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20." we are going to go in and talk to joann, the lady who found me. see if she can lead us in any direction. >> reporter: joann houser's moment of reckoning has arrived. the so-called good smar thanh who said she rescued baby janet from an alleyway is being paid a visit. three siblings, janet, dean, and julie, are on their way over for a 6:30 meeting. as cliche as it sounds, it is a date with destiny. >> you must have been nervous as heck. >> i was scared. i was nervous.

i was still i think a little angry. but i knew that we'd come this far, we might as well just keep going until the wheels fall off. >> reporter: tense, nervous, janet decides she should go in first. as you walked up to her doorstep that day, what's going on in your head? >> all i kept telling myself was please let her tell the truth. >> reporter: cece more goes with her. janet is finally sitting at the table with the woman who may have the answers to a lifetime of questions. cece is thankfully there to break the ice. >> i've been working with janet. there was a man named adrian, your sister's son, and he came out as janet and dean and julie's first cousin. >> oh, yeah. >> so that leads us back to you. >> yeah. >> reporter: after more than three decades of harboring a dark secret, joann can hold it in no longer. >> well, okay. i have something to say. i -- today i decided i'd better

come clean. i've been living with the guilt for so long. it's just a secret i've been carrying all these years, you know? and it's probably mind-boggling, but yeah, i did give birth to you. >> i knew it. >> yeah. >> i just want you to know i'm not mad at you. >> i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry. this is a monumental thing. >> give me a hug. >> reporter: finally, the truth. a 34-year-old mystery is solved. joann wasn't her guardian angel. joann is her birth mother. >> i know this has impacted your life and the life of the other two. >> it has, but i forgive you. i really do. i forgive you. >> how can you forgive me, though? it's killing me because i abandoned you guys, you know? >> you know what, foundlings, people that were abandoned -- what i have found is they are the most forgiving, loving people i've ever known. i'm not exaggerating. >> i suppose you would have to

be, huh? >> we want you to know we're not mad at you. we love you. >> when she finally came clean, i could feel, like, her burden -- i could feel it and i could see it. and i just couldn't be mad at her. >> reporter: all that anger just disappeared? >> it did. >> i hated you. not you. but i hated you. >> yeah, i know. >> and i can't -- i can't anymore. >> reporter: janet asks about that story that's come to define her whole life. >> please tell me i wasn't in an alley. >> no, you weren't. >> thank god. >> no, no, i just made the call and they came and i just made up a story. >> reporter: so janet was never abandoned in an alley. it was a rus but what about julie and dean? they're about to come face to face with their histories as well. >> they're here and they want to meet you. >> where are they? >> outside. >> reporter: moments later, dean and julie appear at the door. >> come, come, come.

>> this is julie. >> hey. >> julie, hi. >> reporter: the two children joann has not seen since they were born -- >> and this is dean. >> reporter: -- are reunited with their birth mother. >> as soon as i walked in there, my heart broke for her. >> reporter: why? >> this is a woman who's been through so much. you know, i can't hate her. >> i just want you to know that i do love you. dean. >> we all do. >> he's the quiet one. >> reporter: for dean forgiveness comes hard. >> she just looked like a stranger to me. she didn't look -- >> reporter: there was no flicker of recognition? >> no. >> reporter: not like you had with your own sisters? >> no. i can't imagine it's been -- you've never forgotten about us. right? >> never, never. >> reporter: harboring a secret has clearly taken a toll. they're about to learn just how big. >> it's been killing me all this time, and it's killing me now. >> reporter: it is not a figure of speech. joann recently suffered both a heart attack and a stroke.

the timing was significant. it happened just as janet, dean and julie's odyssey was playing out on facebook. and joann, a facebook friend, was watching it all. >> joann watched janet find dean and then watched her find julie. can you imagine if you were joann, how you must have been feeling? >> reporter: i would think terrified might be one of the things because at this point the three babies you abandoned have grown up and are finding each other and are going to find you. >> it's all over facebook and everything. it's really killing me. i have to have open heart surgery within a few weeks. >> oh, no. >> the whole process from her meeting me to us finding julie, i think it just -- it really did a toll on her. >> reporter: miraculously, they've met their birth mother after endless searching only to realize their time with her may be limited. what were the most important questions you needed her to answer?

>> does she love us? >> you loved us. >> yes. >> and i'm sure that was -- >> i still do. >> she said oh god, yes. >> i still do. i'm so sorry. >> come here. come here. >> reporter: when we come back, for the first time, the woman with a lifetime of secrets opens up to "20/20." why did she do this? how did she do this? did she have help? >> tell me what you were thinking. >> you're asking me these questions, and i would like to know the answer myself. >> stay with us. ead pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief from moderate, to even severe fibromyalgia pain and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these,

new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can do more with my family. talk to your doctor today. see if lyrica can help. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ isee that right there? boyou can't say that.ki. i can't tell people to try my bowls? no. check out my bowls? nope. what about my billboard? (sighs) what? try my teriyaki bowls.

now available comwith steak or chicken,s. covered in our teriyaki sauce, plus steamed veggies and your choice of white or brown rice. i've got the bowls to serve something different! (sighs) what? try my teriyaki bowls.

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20."

>> reporter: three children have come to a home, a house they never grew up in and to a mother they've never met. it was so tense that when the meeting was over they are giddy with relief. >> this is crazy. >> hug it out. >> reporter: but for joann hauser there is no relief, just shame. weighed down by the secret she alone knew about and never spoke about until now. there are people who hear this and can sort of wrap their heads around, perhaps -- >> well, yeah. and that's why i -- >> reporter: -- doing it once. but three times? >> right. i didn't want to do this because i would be here with you and i would be on tv. and everybody's going to know. >> reporter: joann came of age in the '60s. joann dropped out of college and embraced the l.a. party scene. >> we were partying all the time, smoking pot and drinking. >> reporter: at 22 joann marries

and has two boys, but the marriage quickly crumbles. joann divorces and falls back into her partying ways. and it was at one of those parties, fueled by drugs and alcohol, that janet is conceived. joann, broke, single, unemployed, keeps the pregnancy a secret. how did you hide it, joann? >> well, i'm big. i mean, look at me. >> reporter: nobody ever said, "hey, you're looking a little" -- >> "you're looking a little heavy there." no, no. >> reporter: joann would not tell a soul. nine months later in the early hours of an august morning, she goes into labor alone in her house with her two older boys sleeping in the next room. so what happened when you went into labor? were you afraid? >> i was terrified. i remember it was around 4:00 in the morning. and i did it by myself. i laid there and went through the labor, and then went into the bathroom and the tub and drew the warm water and laid in the warm water.

and that helped. >> reporter: the reality joann never wanted to face is now staring back at her in the form of a new baby girl, four pounds one ounce. >> i'm like, "what am i going to do? what am i going to do?" >> reporter: feeling ill-equipped to care for any more children, a desperate joann hatches that outlandish scheme, pretending she's found a baby by a dumpster, playing good samaritan to the police. >> i remember this young guy would call me and call me a hero. >> reporter: not a hero. if they only knew the real story. >> yeah, i'm not a hero. >> reporter: you went to visit janet every day for that first week of her life in the hospital. >> yes. >> reporter: why did you do that? >> because i wanted to see her. i was totally amazed. yeah, she was perfect. just a tiny little thing. i just almost didn't want to give her up, you know? i felt if someone else had her they could give her a better life than i could. >> reporter: four years later,

still single, she finds herself pregnant yet again. why weren't you using birth control? >> stupid, crazy, not thinking, >> reporter: julie, like janet, would be born at home. her mother, with no medication, no help, cuts the umbilical cord herself. julie was born on one of your sons' birthday. >> yeah, january 19th, yeah, my oldest son. >> reporter: after you left her at the happy mart, you came back and threw a birthday party. >> yeah, i did. yeah. >> reporter: how did you do that? >> that was tough. because i was not feeling too great after i had her. >> reporter: photos from that day capture a pale joann smiling through the pain of just giving birth and then abandoning her second child. what was going through your mind as you're celebrating the birthday of one child, having just given birth to another child and left it behind a store?

>> i felt like i was the biggest hypocrite in the world, you know? >> reporter: and shockingly, it wouldn't be the last time. the very next year, joann is pregnant again with dean. for the third time she endures labor alone. delivers a son alone. and cleans up alone. >> i remember driving around with him in the car. i was like, what can i do? what am i going to do? so i knew the first time he cried they would probably open their door and find him right there. you know? >> reporter: an inconceivable act to do once, let alone three times. how much did you think about these three children? >> all the time, every day. >> reporter: and then one day in 2013 you find out janet is looking for you. were you excited? >> yeah, i was. >> reporter: you thought i'm going to see my daughter. >> i was thrilled. it was just like, oh, my god, there she is. and she's a grown woman. >> hi. >> hi!

>> reporter: looking back, a closer examination of that reunion gives it a whole different meaning. over and over, joann pulls janet back to look at her face. >> when i look at it, i see someone who's very proud of janet. it looks like more of a motherly proudness. >> reporter: yet again, joann keeps her secret and passes up the opportunity to tell janet the truth. >> reporter: what is it like to live with that kind of guilt? >> i'm blown away at their kindness. >> reporter: their forgiveness. have you forgiven yourself yet? >> i don't think i have. everybody's encouraging me to you know, forgive yourself, forgive yourself. well, how do you do that? what, is there a formula for that? no? see? >> reporter: you just have to find your way there somehow. because living in this -- >> yeah. >> reporter: -- doesn't work. >> it makes you sick.

now i'm facing, you know, major heart surgery in a week. >> it is 5:00 in the morning and i'm here at the hospital because my biological mom is having heart surgery. >> a little bit. >> reporter: it is time to mend a mother's broken heart. janet wonders if this hug is her last. >> i love you. >> i love you too. >> reporter: just because she goes into surgery joann has one last gift for her children. the names of the men who fathered them. >> even if she made a lot of bad choices in the past, she's starting to make good choices now. >> there's never a phone call that someone is expecting to get. >> reporter: cece coaches janet through a phone call to the father, kent. and after leaving a message a call back. >> oh. what do i do? >> pick up. pick up. >> hi, kent. how are you? yes. you may be my father. i actually do know who my mother is. her name is joann. were you with a woman named

joann in the '80s? >> reporter: kent truthfully acknowledges that he was with joann back then but says he is in shock. he's just trying to take it all in. >> i couldn't imagine what you would be going through with a phone call from someone random. hey, i'm your daughter. aw. >> reporter: but then something unexpected. choking back tears, he tells janet he always wanted a little girl. >> bye-bye. oh, that broke my heart. he's crying. >> reporter: a few days later father and daughter meet for the first time. >> so good to see you. i love you like my little girl. >> reporter: little did kent know he's also a grandfather. and janet wasn't the only one who eeher birth father. julie meets her birth father, bobby. >> hi. >> julie? >> yes. nice to meet you.

>> you do look like my mom. >> reporter: who immediately takes out a photo of his mother. there's a striking similarity. >> it's scary how much i look like her. >> reporter: after an afternoon of catching up on a lifetime -- >> it's really nice to meet you. >> reporter: -- good-byes and promises to keep in touch. but dean's reunion with his father is not at least not yet. even though dean has his name, he can't find him. could he be watching tonight? as for joann, she made it through her surgery. it's now been six weeks. >> long time no see. you look good. >> reporter: now the really hard healing can begin. cece predicts joann's toughest critics will be herself and the millions of viewers she confessed to tonight. >> she will be judged, unfortunately. and i just don't think that judgment helps anyone. i've learned that foundlings are the most forgiving, loving people when they grow up that i've ever met. they want that connection, and so in order to have that and

foster it, you have to let go all of that negativity. >> reporter: a recipe for redemption. a family is building their own new memories together. a first haircut for a grandson. a backyard barbecue. and a toast to a once-torn fabric now stitched together into a portrait of a family. >> cheers. >> cheers, to family. >> cheers. >> and we're toasting them too. and don't go away because we have another hour coming right up. and this one with a bizarre medical mystery tonight. women who are driven to deny that they're actually pregnant. amy joins me right after the break. what about bubble trance? bubble what? bubble trance. it's a thing. (man) oh. my point is, everyone's got different taste. that's why verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plan so everyone gets the plan they want, without paying for things they don't. and right now, the whole family can get six months of free apple music on verizon. oh. so let's play that reggaeton. old school reggaeton, not the new stuff. (vo) get 45 million songs with six months free apple music on us.

only on verizon. switch now and get $300 off our latest phones. olayered scents tfor your homeight. imagination. we have a fragrance for that. new fine fragrance mist, infused with essential oils, artfully crafted by glade. sc johnson. dinner date...meeting his parents dinner date. why did i want a crest 3d white smile? so i used crest. crest 3d white removes... ...95% of surface stains in just 3 days... ...for a whiter smile... that will win them over. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. [stomach gurgles] ♪when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea... girl, pepto ultra coating will treat your stomach right.

nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.♪ try new pepto with ultra coating. i have to tell you something incredible. capital one has partnered with hotels.com to give venture cardholders 10 miles on every dollar they spend at thousands of hotels. all you have to do is pay with this at hotels.com/venture. 10 miles per dollar? that is incredible. brrrrr! i have the chills. because you're so excited? because ice... is cold. and because of all those miles.

obviously. what's in your wallet? they told me that i was abandoned at the hospital, and i could not believe it. this story is crazy. >> tonight, as "20/20" continues, a condition so rare and mysterious it's almost

unheard of. a bizarre medical disorder, denying that you're pregnant and then abandoning your babies. >> how could your wife give birth and you have no idea? to miss her pregnancy five times? >> yeah. >> but what caused a different mother to abandon her newborn? >> there's a baby found on the inside of the salvation army drop box. >> the box that you were found in. >> now we're on the hunt with both grown children. >> both sought out to find their birth mothers. >> right. >> right here tonight, a dna detective. >> back to where it all started. >> taking them on a search for a lifetime. >> that's what we have to go by, your dna and the location you were found. >> all the brand new leads and blind alleys. >> don't want toivyou any false hope. this is a long shot. >> the setbacks and rejections. >> she hung up on me. >> all this time i thought maybe somebody was thinking about me and where i was.

>> the surprise of something they never saw coming. >> but i saw this. i had the same reaction. >> and the biggest shock of all. who's waiting behind that door? >> it really is opening pandora's box. >> and a big secret. >> a big secret. >> good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm david muir. >> and i'm amy robach. and this is "20/20." reporting here tonight, deborah roberts. >> who am i? where am i from? >> i was abandoned at a hospital. >> i was left out in a donation bin. >> i just wanted to know why. >> there's this feeling about being wanted. >> i just thought that i would never really know. >> reporter: coeur d'alene, idaho, a small scenic town just outside spokane on a lake nestled in the mountains. its name originating from a

native american tribe who called themselves the discovered people. but while some are discovered here, others are lost. our first mystery begins in 1987 at this hospital. a pregnant woman checks herself in, alone, in labor, and oddly carrying no luggage or personal items. >> she said she was from california and that she was visiting some friends in idaho. she was 5'5", brown hair brown eyes. they said she was quite attractive but uptight. >> reporter: she signs in as amy dee beach, saying she's single and unemployed. at 6:30 a.m. she's moved to the birthing room. >> she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, good size, full term. >> reporter: after a short time with her new baby the mom does she disappeared 12 hours later. she just left the hospital gown on the bed, and that was it. >> reporter: she just walked out? >> just gone.

>> reporter: mystified, the nurses gave the now abandoned baby girl a nickname. >> they named the baby baby girl beach. which is pretty cute, actually. one of the better names for a foundling that i've heard. >> reporter: foundling. >> foundling. sort of the catchall term for a child that's abandoned. >> reporter: this foundling is later adopted by a couple from idaho. >> this was a dream we'd had for so long. when they brought her out, here came this beautiful, beautiful little girl, this little baby. >> reporter: the kluges are a loving family, naming their new little girl andrea. an only child, enjoying piano, flash forward 31 years, baby girl beach is now andrea klug-napier, who lives in colorado and works as an office manager in a medical office. she has no idea of the strange circumstances around her birth until age 16, when her adoptive

parents finally tell her. >> they told me that i was abandoned at the hospital, and i could not believe it. this story is -- this is crazy. >> reporter: a crazy mystery she feels compelled to solve. >> you have a tattoo. >> i do. >> reporter: what does it say? >> it says baby girl beach. >> reporter: baby girl beach. that was sort of your identity in the gunning. >> right. >> reporter: you're living a pretty happy life. you've got lovely parents. why do you need to go looking if you're pretty happy with where you are? >> there's always going to be a void you that don't know about. i just have always wanted to meet whoever she was. >> reporter: that she, the mother who walked out on her hours before her birth, was now the center of andrea's quest. >> i said my name is andrea, i was born on april 30th, 1987. >> reporter: she turns to social media to find her. posting a photo of herself on facebook holding a sign outlining her story. >> i was abandoned at a hospital

in coeur d'alene, idaho by a woman named amy beach. please like and share. >> reporter: the post goes viral. >> her birth made headlines in idaho after her mother disappeared from the hospital. >> the woman is using social media to try to be reconnected with her birth mother. >> reporter: many adopted kids say they have this sense of yearning. how different is for those who are foundlings? >> it's even more intense because foundlings have zero information about their background. it's like their life began the moment they were found. >> reporter: 2,400 miles away in anchorage, alaska another foundling mystery one year before andrea's. another runaway mother abandons her baby. it's a cool summer evening in 1986. at sundown a newborn boy is found. not in a hospital but in a cardboard box next to a salvation army bin. >> it was september 4th, 198 6.

two teenage boys were out riding their bikes and heard crying from a carbon dioxide and went ov over to investigate and were astonished to find a live baby in the box. and they scooped the baby up and literally cycled over to their house with it in their arms. >> reporter: hours before, bystanders recall seeing a pregnant woman nearby. >> they'd seen a very pregnant young lady standing by the salvation army bin and hadn't given it much thought but then when they got home they started watching the news and heard that a baby had been abandoned then. >> reporter: a police sketch is published in a local newspaper, looking for that mystery woman who left the baby. and like andrea this baby boy doe is also adopted into a loving home. he grows up in idaho playing in the hills, doing country stuff, being raised with sisters. flash forward 31 years later,

that baby is now benjamin a soldier in the national guard and has deployed twice to iraq. >> how did you learn you were adopted? >> it was my 11th birthday. any dad told me i was adopted. >> how did it hit you? >> i didn't believe him at first. then i was devastated. they brought the newspaper clippings out that they had preserved. i was spinning. i was like, this is all a joke, right? this was the biggest question in my life. who am i? where am i from? i would look up at the stars and wonder if my mom and dad or my brothers or sisters or my grandparents were looking at the stars that night. >> reporter: ben is now on the biggest and most personal mission to date, trying to solve the mystery of his birth. like andrea, he's put his faith in one woman, cece moore, a world-renowned dna detective whose deen yi crime-solving work

recently grabbed national attention leading to arrests in languishing cold cases. >> this morning a break in a 25-year-old cold case. >> same technique authorities used to arrest a suspected golden state killer. >> this is a major game changer for these cold cases. >> i've worked with dozens, maybe hundreds of foundlings by now, so i know that this is a really intense process for them. >> reporter: still ahead, andrea's about to find out some secrets get buried for a reason. >> you may have this idea that you're going to find birth parents who are just going to readily accept you, but that may not be the case. >> reporter: and a stunning discovery for ben. >> and i saw this. >> reporter: stay with us. man 1: this is my body of proof. woman 1: proof of less joint pain... woman 2: ...and clearer skin. woman 3: this is my body of proof. man 2: proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis... woman 4: ...with humira. woman 5: humira targets and blocks

a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. avo: humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. woman 6: need more proof? woman 7: ask your rheumatologist about humira. man 1: what's your body of proof?

woman 7: ajust to get rid ofgist arub stubborn makeup? try garnier micellar water. garnier micelles act like a magnet to absorb makeup and impurities. without harsh rubbing, remove stubborn makeup, cleanse and soothe even sensitive skin. garnier micellar water. make the switch! but allstate actually helps you drive safely... with drivewise. it lets you know when you go too fast... ...and brake too hard. with feedback to help you drive safer.

giving you the power to actually lower your cost. unfortunately, it can't do anything about that. now that you know the truth... are you in good hands?

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20." andrea klug-napier and genealogist cece moore are on a trip back in time, back to 1987. a year of coincidences, when this u2 song about searching topped the charts. ♪ what i'm looking for and an abandoned baby is the storyline in a number one movie, "3 men and a baby." >> i'm not picking it up. >> you found it. >> reporter: where roommates discover an infant left on their doorstep. it was also the year that andrea doned in real life at this hospital in coeur d'alene, idaho. now she and cece are retracing the steps of the mom who left her, hoping to find clues that might unlock the mystery. >> you're back to where it all started. >> so a lot's changed since

1987. >> this is one of our postpartum rooms. >> mm-hmm. >> which actually is similar to what it was back in 1987. >> i wonder how much time she spent with you. >> at least she was good enough to come in and have you in a hospital. >> the feelings that she could have had i can't even imagine. >> not that she's a hero, but it took a lot of courage to come in. >> it was a criminal offense to leave a baby somewhere. now, fortunately, safe haven laws have been created where women can take a baby to a safe place like a fire department, hospital, and they won't be prosecuted. >> reporter: a barren hospital room offering no answers for andrea. then suddenly an unexpected emissary from her past. >> andrea. >> reporter: this nurse, the same nurse who 31 years ago cared for andrea as an abandoned

infant. kim beckman remembers trying to fill the void left by the baby's vanished mom. >> i remember holding you a lot. i worked evenings. and rocking you and just wanting you to feel loved. and that's all i remember, is that -- how cute you were and wondering how desperate that mom must have been. i hope you find your birth mom. >> reporter: sadly, clues hard to come by in the maternity ward. with the exception of one. andrea's mother left behind an admission form, and on it next to andrea's baby footprints, her mother's fingerprint. >> was that significant for you? >> with thell, it was certainly clue, and it was the only clue we had. so we did want to follow up on that. >> reporter: hopes pinned on this single fingerprint, andrea and cece enlist the nearby police department for help. >> i'm the chief here in post falls. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you too. so let's see what you've got here as far as the fingerprints

go. the name that was used was last name of beach. >> mm-hmm. >> okay. are you comfortable that she simply just walked away on her own, that there was no foul play or any of that type of activity that may have occurred? >> i don't know if there was any foul play. >> you don't know. and i don't know. >> i don't want to give you any false hope because this is a long shot and i'll get in touch with you as soon as i hear something back. >> i feel like this is a puzzle that i'm trying to put together but all the pieces are face down on the table. >> reporter: like andrea ben tveidt, also abandoned at birth, is determined to find his biological mom. >> so right now we're headed to cece moore's house. [ doorbell ] >> hello. come on in. >> i'm ben. >> hi. it's very nice to meet you. >> likewise. >> i have some news. some things to show you. >> that's not him. >> reporter: cece's taken ben's

dna and entered it ininto four national data bases. with possible hits on distant relatives the dna detective's got her work cut out for her. >> it's going to be difficult. >> reporter: then she catches a break, a direct hit on someone they weren't even looking for. >> i logged into your match list a couple days ago, and i saw this. r.b. is your father. >> reporter: ben does an actual double take. >> i had the same reaction. >> how do the planets align perfectly for that to happen? >> it's a man named richard blanchfield who's a pretty incredible guy. he's a vietnam vet and he's not just any vietnam vet. he's a highly decorated vietnam vet. >> reporter: what are the odds? ben, a veteran of two tours in iraq, learning his biological father is a war hero. >> his arm was nearly blown off at the shoulder. he's 47 years old at the time of your birth. >> is he still alive? >> he is still alive. here's the good news.

your dad lives 20 minutes from here. he just happens to live down the freeway. >> reporter: did you believe this? >> i felt look i got struck by lightning when she told me. to fiend a relative th to find a relative that close, it blew my mind. >> reporter: up next, ben's visit face to face with a father he never knew. >> i'm trying to regulate my breathing. i'm trying to be calm. >> let's do it. >> i knock on the door, and there's this voice -- >> you're knocking at my door? >> reporter: and cece hits paydirt with andrea. >> when i opened it i had quite a surprise. >> i thought wow, this actually worked. i couldn't get on a plane fast enough to go meet her. >> reporter: stay with us. (sprintern) whoah! ipho. (sas-bot) nothing. hmm? nothing. (sprintern) iphone x! i love that you can unlock it with faceid. (employee) i love that it's on sprint's network built for unlimited. (sprintern) sprint's best deal ever. you know they're flying off the shelves. don't you love it? (sas-bot) love? who said that? i didn't say that. (sprintern) well this just got... (sas-bot) okay! terrific! (sprintern)...awkward. (sas-bot) yeah, thank you!

(sprintern) so we'll get on out. (sas-bot) i thought they'd never leave. (vo) get the unrivaled iphone x for the best price. now just $5 a month. for people with hearing loss, that's right. just $5 a month. visit sprintrelay.com. two pieces of kfc all white meat chicken. holy smokes, this is the most white meat ever assembled in a five dollar fill-up. get this deal before it flies the coop. kfc, it's finger lickin' good. ♪ ♪

♪ sfx: [cell phone dialing] no. no, no, no, no, no. cancel. cancel. please. aaagh! being in the know is a good thing. that's why discover will alert you if your social security number is found on any one of thousands of risky sites. light bladder leaks are just part of being a woman. but we can still jump into fun. poise® liners are incredibly thin and stay 5x drier than the leading always period liner, so life with little leaks can just be life. get a coupon at poise.com ancestrydna can open you to a world of new cultures to explore. with two times more detail than any other dna test... you can connect more deeply to the places of your past. and be inspired to learn about the people and traditions

that make you, you. savor your dna story. only $59-- our site's lowest price ever.

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20." as a sergeant in the idaho national guard ben tveidt has tested his mettle and grit as part of the perilous u.s.-led invasion in iraq. he's an experienced gunner on one of the most powerful tanks on the planet. >> we're driving to my dad's

house. >> reporter: but now ben has to muster all the courage he has for a deeply personal mission. >> reporter: i'm terrified and excited all at the same time. >> in 800 feet turn right. >> longest 800 feet of my life. >> reporter: genealogist cece moore joins him at a house in southern california where ben's birth father lives. >> you ready? >> i'm ready. >> i know your father's very excited to meet you. >> i'm trying to regulate my breathing, trying to be calm, and not look like an idiot. >> let's do it. >> i knock on the door, and there's this voice. >> somebody knocking at my door? >> hello. >> hello. you must be ben. >> i'm ben. >> i'm doc. wow. how are you doing? >> it's eerie. >> come on in, son. come on in. welcome. welcome. >> and i was just overwhelmed.

i didn't know what to say. >> did you feel a connection? >> yeah. right away. right away. >> come on in here. this is the room i love the most. >> reporter: his biological dad, richard, doc blanchfield, recipient of the purple heart, shares keepsakes from i rich life lived. >> see the pictures on the wall? >> mm-hmm. >> vietnam vet, 82nd airborne. >> reporter: the two startled by the similarities in their lives. >> you went in the army when you were 18? >> i was 18 years old. >> same as i did. i went in the marine corps at 18. >> reporter: what if anything does he remember about ben's birth mom? doc recalls a night 32 years ago in anchorage, alaska. as a single dad he had a chance encounter at a bar called the cabin tavern. >> there was a young lady at the bar. i just went up, sat down, didn't say anything. i had my beer. we just started a conversation. she was in a difficult relationship. >> mm-hmm. >> but i took a liking to her. i really did. she didn't want to go back wherever she came from.

i don't remember the lady's name. honest to god, i don't. >> reporter: he recalls making dinner for the woman, and the two sharing a tender romantic night. >> before she left i remember this distinctly. i had three statues. i still have two of them. they're from china. it was a chinese goddess statue. and i gave it to her, and i said this will bring you good luck. i never earheard from her again. i wonder if she still has it. >> and here's shawn, my other boy. >> these are my brothers? >> yep. >> reporter: then a revelation of relief. doc says he would have kept his son if he'd known he existed. >> there's that feeling of rejection that i had for so many years, being abandoned. and it counterbalanced that feeling because i was accepted and i was wanted. it lifted a weight off my shoulders, off my chest. i couldn't go to bed angry anymore. >> reporter: as a parting gift doc offers his newly found son a note. it says, "we are family."

and the marine coda, s, alwa lo. meanwhile, andrea's identity search has hit a snag. she had been so hopeful after offering to police that fingerprint from her birth mom. >> and did they find anything? >> no. it would have been great to get the identity, but had her fingerprints been in the system that probably wouldn't have been a very positive indicator. we didn't want to believe that she went on to live a life of crime either. >> reporter: but where old-fashioned forensics have failed some high-tech dna sleuthing by genealogist cece moore has come up with a startling match. >> this is your match list, and when i opened it i had quite a surprise. if you shared both parents you would have big blocks of green. so how much green do you see? >> there's a lot of green. >> do you know what that means? >> we could be siblings. >> you're not just siblings. you are full siblings. >> whoa. that is so crazy.

>> you share the same mom and the sam dad. >> reporter: and suddenly you realize you've got a sister? for someone who's not really expecting much and you're seeing this now. >> i thought, wow, this actually worked. he found something. i just couldn't even get on a plane fast enough to go meet her. >> reporter: wasting no time, andrea leaves colorado for wisconsin. >> i'm nervous to meet a stranger who just happens to be my sister. >> i was so nervous for her to open the door. i just didn't know what to expect. >> hi. how are you? >> how are you?>> rter:firs andd cbi of awkwardness and a deep bond. >> i just knew immediately that we were both really shy and kind of awkward and she just immediately told me that she had a bunch of information about our biological family.

>> that's my adoptive mom. >> reporter: heather was adopted in washington, a state that allows access to adoption records. so she already knows the name of their birth mom and dad. >> our birth mom's name is deirdre. she went by cindy. deirdre. this is my mom. wow. >> reporter: after years the searching the moment has finally come. andrea's about to learn about her origins. but the truth will be difficult. >> she had a baby boy two years after you. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: and the baby and her passed away. >> oh, my god. oh, that's so sad. >> so. >> i'm really glad to find all of this out. >> when i heard that news, i

just -- it took over. i just couldn't even -- i just came to a stop. i will never be able to meet her. >> reporter: and to hear this from your sister who you just met. >> yeah, it was sad. and all this time i thought maybe somebody was thinking about me and where i was, but she hadn't. it feels like i just lost somebody that i didn't even know. >> reporter: and there's an astonishing twist in her family saga. while andrea and heather were given up, their mother and father kept and raised two sons. >> the boys were raised by my mother and father. >> reporter: why were they raised by your biological parents and you weren't? >> yeah. so we had a lot of questions. >> this dimple. yeah. totally. >> reporter: next, andrea starting her journey alone now paired with her sister. together they'll travel to meet their two brothers. >> oh, boy. >> reporter: and their father.

and confront a deep family secret. a mysterious notation on their mom's death certificate. >> it was no normal death certificate. not what you would expect. >> reporter: stay with us. ♪ i feel most times we're high and low ♪ ♪ high and low ♪ if i had my way enhance your moments. san pellegrino. tastefully italian. san pellegrino. i'm emma. and i'm claire.

and we're the salmon sisters. we run our business from the boat. it's a really small space. this new surface go is the perfect size. ♪ i love having something that i can hold in my hand. we're proud of this way of life. we're proud of the work we're doing.

♪ ♪ ♪ i put a spell on you ♪ yeah, because you're mine ♪ with chase atms serena can now grab cash on the go, all with the tap of her phone. ♪ stop the things you do no card? no problem. life, lived serena's way. chase, make more of what's yours.

>> announcer: we continue with more of "20/20." andrea klug-napier has discovered a sister. and together they're going to meet two brothers they never even knew they had. >> super nervous. kind of have a stomach ache. >> reporter: and someone else. their biological dad. >> oh, boy. >> reporter: with their mother gone they hope their father holds the key to their looming questions. why would a mom and dad forsake their two daughters but not their sons?

>> hi. how's it going? >> good. >> hi. >> i'm aaron. >> andrea. nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: finally, face to face with brother aaron, who answers the door, and then their father dwight. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: the new family finding their footing as dennis, another brother, joins them. >> it's for you. >> thank you. >> reporter: so you're meeting your biological father and your two brothers you that never had any idea existed. >> i can't even describe the feeling. it was crazy. >> the article that i have from the newspaper, the nurses described her as uptight and attractive. >> really? >> dwight just immediately started talking to us and telling us everything that he knew about our mother. we just wanted to see every picture that was ever taken of her. >> this picture of her.

>> you guys look like mom big-time. >> yeah. >> reporter: deirdre, who went by the name of cindy, was only 16 and dwight 17 when they married. she later worked as a computer programmer. >> and then he told you about the day she died. >> yeah. >> it was like 20 below here and the weather was bad. the city was shut down. and she said, she told me she had the flu. >> he told us that she had been ill and that he left for work and that when he got home she was unconscious. >> i called 911. >> reporter: and what happened? >> well, they come and took her to the hospital and went to the hospital and they pronounced her dead. and all the doctor said was that she was really torn up inside. he wasn't -- i went home and it was a couple days later. >> i went to the bed and the door was locked and there was a

baby-s sitting on the bed. full-term baby. >> reporter: an unimaginable discovery. the death of a baby boy he hadn't even known he'd fathered. >> i thought i knew her and i thought everything was great. >> reporter: but what about andrea and heather? incredibly, dwight says he had no idea his wife gave birth to them either. >> and that's the story. >> yeah. >> it was pretty cruel. >> i thought for sure i'm going to see something in dwight that maybe he did know and he's heig hiding it from us but immediately when we sat down, he started talking, i knew that there was absolutely no way he knew about us. she hid everything from him. z >> reporter: most people would look at this and say how could this be? how could your wife give birth and you have no idea? >> i still question it myself today, wondering how did i miss

it. >> reporr:e says when cindy was pregnant with their sons aaron and dennis she barely showed. >> her stomach wasn't big at all. it seemed like she gained a little weight to the face. >> reporter: you are living together in the same house. you're sleeping together in the same bed. you must have seen her disrobe. >> i thought maybe it was weight gain or something. >> reporter: you never recalled her looking pregnant. >> no. not ever. >> reporter: how is it possible that his wife could give birth and he knew nothing about it? >> i've worked with families, people always question how could no one know, how could you hide a nine-month pregnant belly? but women do it all the time. >> reporter: the sisters, still frieling it all, visit their mom's grave to say good-bye. still confounded by why she hid those pregnancies. the answer may lie in a strange notation on cindy's death

certificate. unattended birth associated with psychotic denial. >> had you heard of that before? >> i had seen it in other cases. that's not terribly unusual in family cases where somebody denies they're pregnant until it's too late and they haven't made any sort of arrangements. it's probably one of the reasons people get abandoned rather than legally adopted. >> denial of pregnancy is a recognized psychiatric or psychological condition. >> reporter: psychiatrist susan friedman has studied the disordernd surprisingly common. one in 400 women may suffer in some form. >> the woman may have some idea she's pregnant intellectually but she pushes it from her mind until she can no longer do so because she's suddenly giving birth. and suddenly a young woman's own experiences of abandonment could contribute to denial of pregnancy. >> reporter: possibly explaining cindy's odd behavior is a painful backstory according to heather. as a small child cindy and her sister were both given up for adoption. they were on a bus en route to

an orphanage. >> and at the last minute their brother pulled her sister off the bus and left her. >> reporter: left cindy by herself. >> she's just a little girl, almost 3 years old. on this bus alone sent off to some orphanage. >> reporter: it must have been traumatic for this child. >> it's abandonment again. but we only can speculate what sort of emotional damage that may have done to cindy very early on in her life. >> reporter: still ahead, andrea and heather about to find out their mother took even more secrets to her grave. and ben's search for his mother has been narrowed down to two women, one of them on the other end of this call. the moment of truth. >> in my experience the dna doesn't lie. u look amazing. and you look amazingly comfortable. when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck... that's when you know, it's half-washed.

add downy to keep your collars from stretching. unlike detergent alone, downy conditions to smooth and strengthen fibers. so, next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. the red one is more haribogooder to me cos it tastes like berries. they're really squishy. and then i'm gonna fly it in to my mouth. ♪ kids and grown ups love it ♪o ♪ the happy world of haribo ♪ (thomas) nice choices! you see, now verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plans like you mix and match your flavors. so you get what you want, without paying for things you don't. number 6. i know. where do i put it? in my belly. (vo) one family. different unlimited plans. starting at $40 per line on the network you deserve. statake an extra 20% off!'s friends & family sale save on vans shoes - starting at $55.99 reversible comforters are just $31.99 and a power air fryer is $127.99. plus, get kohl's cash! starting thursday - at kohl's.

new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, all beds are on sale. save 50% on the new sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. only for a limited time.

anchorage, alaska, known as the last frontier. and for ben tveidt it is the final tell in finding the missing link to his past. desperate to connect the dots, ben makes a stop at the anchorage police station. >> dave cook. >> dave, nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: believe it or not, he locates the detective who was one of the first on the scene three decades earlier. >> you didn't have any physical trauma, anything like that. the umbilical cord was tied off with a sandwich tie. >> reporter: the most promising lead that police sketch of a possible suspect never got an i.d. >> there were several possible prints but they were poor and not very useful. >> if fingerprints were lifted,

would they have been preserved? >> we're talking 30 years now. and basically, all the photos have been destroyed. the prints have been destroyed. >> reporter: and yet again, old school crime solving is futile, leaving it for cutting-edge dna technology to save the day. the genealogist cece moore's been able to identify two of ben's second cousins. she traces their family trees all the way to their great-grandparents, then builds the family trees forward with their descendants, poring over obituaries, grave site locateors and census records, cece has pared it down to two women, sisters, one who would likely be ben's aunt, the other his mother. how certain did you feel that you had the right two women that probably would end up being his mother? >> i felt completely certain that i had the right two women. because of the way the family trees came together there was just no other explanation. >> reporter: for ben the meteoric moment is here. >> i'm going to see if she's

willing to talk to me. i've been less nervous doing operations in baghdad than i am right now. >> reporter: unannounced, ben is rolling the dice, pulling into the office building where one of the sisters works, certain she's either his aunt or his biological mom. >> tell me what you're feeling as you're dialing that number and you're waiting. >> the keys on the phone felt pretty heavy as i was pushing them. whew. here we go. [ phone ringing ] >> hi, [ bleep ]. my name is ben tveidt. i've been put in touch with you by some people, a mutual acquaintance. i'm looking for some distant family -- or for some long lost family members. >> reporter: so she answers. >> i hear the voice. a middle-aged woman's voice. a little standoffish at first. trying to figure out who i was. >> reporter: the startled woman

on the other end of the line immediately denies that she or her sister could possibly be ben's mother. >> only reason i'm so adamant about it is that the dna brings us to a path that leads and i'm not trying to be accusatoryial. there's no malice or negativity on my end. i'm holding on to just a thread of hope and right now that's all i have. >> reporter: it's devastatingly apparent that the woman, either his mother or his aunt, wants nothing to do with ben. >> sorry for the -- for inconveniencing you this afternoon. bye. >> she's very -- extremely adamant that her and her sister are a dead end. but people can lie. dna doesn't. i just don't know.

i'm crawling back inside myself, starting to feel nothing again. which is okay. that'll pass. >> reporter: minutes later, though, a heart-stopping paralyzing moment. ben's cell phone rings. could the woman have had a change of heart? >> um -- >> reporter: instead the woman's sister calling back, telling ben to never contact them again. >> just out of curiosity -- she hung up on me. she said that i need to go back to where i'm from and love my family and love the people that raised me. >> reporter: so there was no warmth or no acceptance at all on this phone call. >> no. the meat and potatoes of the conversation were i was messed up for coming and interfering

with other people's lives and digging things up that shouldn't be dug up. >> did that lead you to believe that she probably was your biological mom or maybe not? the fact she was so defensive. >> her reaction led me to the conclusion that she's probably the mother. >> did you feel rejected? >> yeah. you shouldn't have that feeling twice, rejection, abandonment, not being wanted. it's a special kind of loneliness. i felt that loneliness again in the car. that wound is probably still open. >> reporter: for the adoptee they want answers. but for the mothers this is probably one of the most difficult things they've ever had to deal with. >> when they get contact from their child it really is opening pandora's box. they have to face a lot of deeply buried emotions and have carried a lot of shame, a lot of guilt and fear. >> and a big secret. >> a big secret.

and it could disrupt the lives they've built since. >> reporter: ben reaches out to his adoptive father back in idaho. >> i told him if i had to go back in time and do it over again i wouldn't change anybody in my life. everything that i am is because of you guys. >> the love that we created or just helped you along. you know, you're a great person. you've got a bigger family now. >> yeah. because the world's given me so much. and i was blind to that for 30 years now. it's never been so clear until now that i've never really been alone. >> all right, son. i love you. >> i love you too. >> reporter: next, for andrea the dark story of her mother's past is only beginning to unfold. >> you began to suspect there could be other children. >> we knew there was five

children already. but there was a 13-year gap between heather and andrea. >> reporter: are there more siblings possibly born during that gap? >> every two

olayered scents tfor your homeight. imagination. we have a fragrance for that. new fine fragrance mist, infused with essential oils, artfully crafted by glade. sc johnson. ♪ happiness is powerful flea and tick protection from nexgard. a delicious chew that protects for an entire month. ask your vet for more information. reported side effects include vomiting and itching. nexgard. the vet's #1 choice. but i am a simple farmer.bas! my life is here... [telephone ring] ahoy-hoy. alexander graham bell here... no, no, my number is one, you must want two! two, i say!!

like my father before... [telephone ring] like my father before... ahoy-hoy! as long as people talk too loudly on the phone, you can count on geico saving folks money. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

andrea klug-napier's journey to find her biological family has taken emotional twists and turns she never could have imagined. her family tree rapidly growing. >> i grew up an only child, and now i have so many siblings. >> reporter: she has three newfound siblings. heather, aaron, and dennis. and now incredibly, she's about to meet a fourth. a 32-year-old sister. >> heather just out of the blue sent me a message on facebook and said, are you sitting down? and then i found out i have another sister. >> reporter: andrea's traveled to washington state, and once again she's knocking on a stranger's door. >> hi! >> oh, my gosh. >> we actually look a lot alike. >> can you believe all of this?

>> no. >> i never thought i would ever find anybody ever. >> reporter: her sister's name is marisia, and her abandonment is remarkably similar to andrea's. birth mom cindy arrives at this hospital in spokane under an alias, gives birth, and then hours later vanishes. >> the name was fake. >> did you ever search that name? >> sandy davis. it's such a common name. >> same with amy beach. >> exactly. and she said she's from california. >> the two sisters marvel at their mirroring stories and reflections. >> looking at her was so surreal, to see these features that i see in myself every day. i think andrea and i did have a connection when we first saw each other. we were both hesitant and a little bit shy, and i think that actually, you know, helps us kind of understand each other a little bit more. >> reporter: and believe it or not, another stunning find. a fifth sibling. a 35-year-old brother that cindy gave birth to and abandoned at

another hospital. another child that dwight never knew he fathered. >> it's one thing that you missed it one time. maybe two times. but to miss her pregnancy five times? >> yeah. right. >> reporter: that's really pretty stunning. >> i just couldn't -- didn't know she was pregnant. couldn't tell. >> reporter: do you see them as your children? >> oh, yeah. yeah. they're my kids. >> what are the odds? >> reporter: andrea's search has led to an unforeseen family reunion. and for her adoptive mom beverly a chance to thank the man who brought her daughter into the world. >> thank you so much. >> oh, thank you. >> you did a great job of raising her. >> reporter: it takes nature and nurture. and together we've produced a very beautiful young woman. we're a part of her story. all und o. miracle that w >> reporter: as for ben tveidt, though the search for his birth

mother ended with a harsh rejection he rejoices in the discovery of a special man, a second father who embraces him fully. >> are you happy you set out on this journey? >> oh, yeah. i can go to my grave happy knowing all that i know now. some foundlings don't ever get that closure. i really feel that connection to another human being in this world. >> i'm thinking law school after -- >> ah, now we're talking. there's a future for you, ben. one thing at a time. sxl i val >> i value myself so much more after meeting him. >> reporter: in the case of andrea and ben both sought out to find their birth mothers. >> right. >> best of the best p ooh-ra. >> reporter: both found birth fathers. >> yes. with open arms. >> right ctn the somebody that welcomes them. i've seen such closure and peace of mind come to these people

that are searching when they get that. >> reporter: peace and closure. but there's definitely more to come on this, amy. >> that's because andrea has yet to meet that fifth sibling, her other brother who lives overseas, but hopes to meet him soon. that's our program for tonight. i'm amy robach. >> and i'm david muir. from all of us here at "20/20" and abc news, thanks for watching and have a great weekend. good night. an apparent drive-by

shooting. what witnesses