It’s natural for adopted children to wonder about their biological parents. While many have heartwarming reunions with ordinary people, some uncover darker truths. Imagine discovering your biological parent was a notorious criminal. Here are 10 adopted kids who learned just that.
Donna Freed
Donna Freed, a radio journalist, searched for her birth parents and found her mother, Miriam Lindenmaier, was involved in an infamous 1966 life insurance scheme. Miriam and her lover, Alvin Brodie, faked her death to collect $36,000 from her life insurance policies. They planned to run away to Spain.
Five months later, a pregnant Lindenmaier was found working at a diner in New York. She received a suspended sentence, while Brodie went to jail. Lindenmaier gave her baby up for adoption for a better life. Reunited in 2011, Lindenmaier revealed she had searched for her daughter for years. Brodie died in 2004, making his four sons Donna Freed’s half-brothers.
Chesa Boudin
Chesa Boudin, former San Francisco District Attorney, knew his parents’ identities growing up, visiting them in prison. His parents, Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert, were getaway drivers in the 1981 Brinks armored car robbery in Nanuet, New York. The robbery resulted in the deaths of a Brinks guard and two police officers.
Chesa was 14 months old when his parents, members of Weather Underground, participated in the heist. Kathy served two decades, while David was released in 2021. Chesa was raised by Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, also Weather Underground members. His background made him a target during his 2019 campaign, but he aimed to prioritize victims’ rights and healing, considering himself a victim of his parents’ crimes.
Kate Comella
Kate Comella discovered her biological father, William “Zeke” Zimmerman, was a criminal. He was a skilled thief who supplied mobsters with stolen goods. Zimmerman testified against the mafia in the 1970s and entered witness protection.
Comella and Zimmerman had a friendly relationship, although she didn’t condone his lifestyle. He once showed her stolen diamond necklaces. Zimmerman died in a homeless shelter in Phoenix at 71.
Elvira Moral
In 1984, two-year-old Elvira Moral and her brothers were abandoned at a Barcelona railway station. Adopted and given a happy childhood, their adoptive mother suspected their father was Raymond Vaccarizzi, a French mafia boss.
Years later, Elvira shared her story on a radio show. An amateur criminologist discovered their father was Ramón Martos Sánchez, a burglar dealing in counterfeit money and jewels. He and his wife, Rosario Cuetos Cruz, fled to Paris after a 1978 shootout with police and later vanished.
Kathy Gillcrist
Kathy Gillcrist learned her biological father was William Bradford Bishop Jr., who allegedly murdered his mother, wife, and three sons in 1976. Bishop, a foreign service officer, was passed over for a promotion the day of the murders.
He allegedly transported their bodies from Maryland to North Carolina and set them on fire. Bishop disappeared and was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List in 2014. Gillcrist, who wrote a book titled It’s in My Genes, believes her father is still alive and on the run.
Toronto Adoptee
A Toronto man spent 16 years searching for his biological parents. He found his birth mother in Delaware, but she seemed uninterested in a relationship. She revealed his birth father was a murderer, convicted of a sex crime against a nine-year-old boy.
The man was shaken by this discovery. His father was in an institution, and he chose not to contact him, deeply disturbed by the revelation.
Samantha Bryan
Samantha Bryan discovered her biological father was Ian Huntley, who murdered two 10-year-old girls in Soham, UK, in 2002. Huntley lured the girls into his home and attacked them. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison after a massive manhunt.
Samantha found out after seeing her mother’s picture online during a school project. She wrote to Huntley in prison, but was disappointed by his evasive response, hoping for remorse.
Nikolas Cruz
Brenda Woodward, the birth mother of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, had a history of violent and drug-related crimes. She was known for her disruptive behavior among law enforcement in Broward County.
Woodward was arrested for grand theft, burglary, and domestic violence. She was also caught buying crack cocaine while pregnant with Cruz, raising questions about the impact of genetics on his actions.
Rebecca Babcock
Rebecca “Becky” Babcock discovered her birth mother was Diane Downs, who shot her three children, killing her 7-year-old daughter, in 1983. Downs claimed someone else was responsible. Downs was arrested while pregnant with Babcock, who was taken by the state. Her other children were adopted by the prosecutor.
Babcock struggled as an adolescent, fearing she’d be like her mother. She dropped out of school, took drugs, and was pregnant at 17. She wrote to Downs, but the letters became paranoid and accusatory. Babcock ultimately asked Downs to stop contacting her.
Valentine Michael Manson
Charles Manson, the infamous mass murderer, fathered Valentine Michael Manson in 1968. His mother was Mary Brunner, a convict. The boy was raised by his grandparents, who adopted him and changed his name.
He learned about his father in elementary school. While he didn’t feel a connection to Charles Manson, he believes the Helter Skelter theory was manufactured. His mother was like a sister to him. Manson’s sons distanced themselves from their father; the eldest, Charles Manson Jr., committed suicide in 1993.
These stories highlight the challenges and shocks some adoptees face when discovering their biological parents’ criminal pasts. It raises questions about nature versus nurture and the impact of such knowledge on one’s identity.
What are your thoughts on these shocking family revelations? Leave your comment below!
