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Finding Family DNA

Finding Family DNA

By: Birth Parent Finder
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Welcome to Finding Family DNA, the show about finding and connecting birth families with Jay Rosenzweig, founder and CEO of BirthParentFinder.com. Every week, we explore a new case shedding light on the investigative tools, genetic genealogy, and DNA technology that make these incredible reunions possible. Join us as we navigate through the complexities of adoption searches and celebrate the profound connections formed along the way.

Birth Parent Finder Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 14 Years of DNA Silence Then a Half Brother Appeared

    14 Years of DNA Silence Then a Half Brother Appeared
    20 Oct 2026

    In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay and Misty sit down with an adoptee who grew up in Texas feeling like the black sheep of her adoptive family, carrying hurtful stories about the birth mother she never knew. After asking to search and being told no, she quietly turned to DNA, only to wait 14 years for a meaningful match. Then a half sibling appeared overnight. Misty explains how she built the family trees on both sides, and our guest shares what it has been like reaching out to new siblings, the side-by-side photo that stopped her in her tracks, and a discovery about how close her birth family may have been all along. Jay and Misty also open with the Michael McDonald adoption story and why 23andMe is surfacing family secrets.


    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/cA7SNjtHLvo


    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    00:11 Welcome and the Michael McDonald Story

    03:18 Introducing Denise

    04:12 Growing Up the Black Sheep

    07:33 Asking to Search and Testing DNA

    09:02 A Half Brother Match After 14 Years

    10:59 Finding BirthParentFinder

    12:59 Midroll — RootsTech 2027 and BirthParentFinder

    14:09 How Misty Connected Both Sides

    15:35 The Half Brother Who Said Yes

    17:17 Connecting With Her Father's Side

    18:56 The Side-by-Side Photo

    20:43 Same Town, Same High School

    22:04 Wanting Her Mother's Story

    23:11 Defending Her Birth Mother

    24:51 Plans to Meet Her Siblings

    25:42 Working With BirthParentFinder

    28:24 Thanks and Close


    BirthParentFinder: https://www.birthparentfinder.com/

    RootsTech 2027: https://www.rootstech.org/

    Michael McDonald story (CNN): https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/02/entertainment/michael-mcdonald-son-michael-goessling


    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


    🚀 Edited with PodShuttle by CHOBO 👨‍🚀

    Want help building your podcast?

    Start at podshuttle.io, or follow along on Instagram.

    https://podshuttle.io

    https://www.instagram.com/podshuttle

    https://www.instagram.com/chobostudios


    Finding Family DNA, Adoption, Adoptee, DNA Test, AncestryDNA, 23andMe, Birth Parents, Half Sibling, Genetic Genealogy, Closed Adoption, Family Reunion, Misty Gillis, Jay Rosenzweig, BirthParentFinder, Michael McDonald, RootsTech, Texas Adoption



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    31 min
  • The Montana Records That Led Misty to a Killer

    The Montana Records That Led Misty to a Killer
    6 Oct 2026

    In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay and Misty step away from adoption reunions to revisit a 47-year-old Montana cold case Misty worked during her time at Parabon NanoLabs. In December 1978, 16-year-old Corina Lydia Contreraz was sexually assaulted and murdered outside Billings, and her case sat unsolved for decades. Misty walks through how genetic genealogy opened a path investigators hadn’t had before. Jay also shares how a high school photo signed “Love, Bill” cracked a birth father case, the two talk RootsTech 2027, and Misty explains why families get release rather than closure, and how everyday GEDmatch users can help.


    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/rI-ahuutLaY


    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    00:11 Welcome and RootsTech 2027

    03:29 A "Love, Bill" Photo and Two Reunions

    07:07 The Corina Lydia Contreraz Cold Case

    08:36 Working the DNA at Parabon

    10:05 Building the Trees Toward Montana

    12:27 Midroll — RootsTech 2027 and BirthParentFinder

    13:37 Landing on Angelo Stallsmith Sr.

    16:07 DNA From a 1982 Fingerprint Card

    17:33 Confirmation and a Criminal History

    19:26 Remembering Corina

    20:16 CeCe Moore at the Press Conference

    22:25 Misty at the Press Conference

    23:36 Boy in the Box and Where This Case Ranks

    24:19 How GEDmatch Users Can Help

    25:09 What Investigators Can and Cannot Access

    26:13 Birth Parent Privacy and Cooperation

    27:15 Could an Amateur Have Solved It

    27:59 Release, Not Closure

    28:46 Thanks and Close


    Yellowstone County Cold Case Unit: https://www.yellowstonecoldcase.com/

    Parabon NanoLabs: https://parabon-nanolabs.com/

    GEDmatch: https://www.gedmatch.com/

    RootsTech 2027: https://www.rootstech.org/


    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


    🚀 Edited with PodShuttle by CHOBO 👨‍🚀

    Want help building your podcast?

    Start at podshuttle.io, or follow along on Instagram.

    https://podshuttle.io

    https://www.instagram.com/podshuttle

    https://www.instagram.com/chobostudios


    Finding Family DNA, Cold Case, Genetic Genealogy, Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Corina Lydia Contreraz, Misty Gillis, CeCe Moore, Parabon NanoLabs, GEDmatch, Family Tree DNA, BirthParentFinder, True Crime, Yellowstone County, RootsTech



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
    Show more Show less
    30 min
  • CeCe Moore Gets Canded: DNA, Friendship & the Stories Behind the Cases

    CeCe Moore Gets Canded: DNA, Friendship & the Stories Behind the Cases
    23 Sep 2026
    When we recorded this episode of Finding Family DNA, we had no idea that CeCe Moore was about to be announced as a RootsTech 2027 keynote speaker. Now, with that announcement official, the timing of this conversation couldn’t be better.Internationally renowned genetic genealogist CeCe Moore joins host Jay Rosenzweig, licensed private investigator and founder of BirthParentFinder.com, and co-host Misty Gillis, genetic genealogist and CeCe’s longtime friend and colleague, for a candid and personal conversation that goes far beyond the usual Q&A.CeCe takes us through the unexpected path that led her to genetic genealogy — including how a Michael Jackson video shoot at USC and a career in the music world helped prepare her for life in front of the camera. She explains how DNA kept pulling her back until the early days of public testing at FamilyTreeDNA gave her a path into what would eventually become a groundbreaking career.CeCe and Misty also dig into the investigative side of genetic genealogy and the difficult “brute-force” cases where distant DNA matches, unusual ancestry and incomplete family trees require creativity and persistence. CeCe discusses the nearly 50-year-old Nancy Anderson murder case in Honolulu, where researching city directories and Romanian and Italian surnames eventually led her to Tudor Chirila, as well as the Lindy Sue Biechler case in Lancaster, where an ancestral migration pattern from Gasperina, Italy, helped point the investigation in the right direction.The conversation also goes beyond the cases. CeCe talks about discovering the connection between Madison Hemings, Thomas Jefferson and DNA while researching her brother-in-law’s family tree, answers some fun rapid-fire questions — from coffee to late-night casework — and shares her thoughts on Misty as both a genealogist and a friend, including why she describes Misty’s work as “magic.”CeCe Moore has become one of the most recognizable figures in genetic genealogy through her groundbreaking work solving unknown-parentage and law-enforcement cases and through television appearances including Finding Your Roots and The Genetic Detective.And now, CeCe will take the stage as a keynote speaker at RootsTech 2027, taking place March 4–6, 2027, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. RootsTech is the world’s largest family history and genealogy conference, bringing together genealogy enthusiasts, industry experts, technology innovators and people from around the world who share a passion for discovering their heritage and connecting with their family history.Episode 52 of Finding Family DNA is sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA.We’d be grateful if you subscribe to Finding Family DNA. Every subscription helps us grow the show and supports our ability to take on more pro bono DNA and family-search cases.Watch this podcast right now on YouTube!https://youtu.be/8yFKt23IJs8Chapters00:00 Intro00:11 Welcome, Sponsor, and a Guatemalan Father Case03:05 Introducing CeCe Moore03:37 Michael Jackson, USC, and a Music-World Sister07:32 How CeCe Moved From Music Into DNA11:23 Alternate Careers and Brute-Force Genealogy16:14 Celebrity Cases and Growing Up Hip Hop19:03 Broadway Dreams and Coming Full Circle on Camera22:02 Midroll — Family Tree DNA and BirthParentFinder23:37 Nancy Anderson and Tudor Chirila28:23 Distant Matches, Gasperina, and Lindy Sue Biechler29:58 Madison Hemings and Jefferson DNA32:24 Jay's Spingarn Cousin and a Poland Trip35:09 What If Not Genetic Genealogy37:04 RootsTech and Southern California Genealogy Jamboree39:44 Rapid Fire45:14 Thanks and CloseFamily Tree DNA: https://www.findingfamilydna.com/?utm_source=redcircle&utm_medium=social&utm_content=com+des&utm_campaign=finding+family+dna+ep+52CeCe Moore: https://www.cecemoore.com/Finding Your Roots (PBS): https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/RootsTech: https://www.rootstech.orgFollow the show here:https://www.instagram.com/findingfamilydnahttps://www.instagram.com/lasleuthhttps://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinderAre you looking to find your birth parents? Get in touch with Jay and his team!https://www.birthparentfinder.com/https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder🚀 Edited with PodShuttle by CHOBO 👨‍🚀Want help building your podcast?Start at podshuttle.io, or follow along on Instagram.https://podshuttle.iohttps://www.instagram.com/podshuttlehttps://www.instagram.com/chobostudiosFinding Family DNA, CeCe Moore, Genetic Genealogy, Cold Case DNA, Family Tree DNA, BirthParentFinder, Finding Your Roots, DNA Detective, Brute Force Genealogy, RootsTechAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    47 min
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