Chicago man kidnapped 55 years ago shares how he found out he was returned to the wrong parents
Just the day after being born, Paul Fronczak was kidnapped from a Chicago hospital by a woman who had pretended to be a nurse and took him away from his mother's arms.
Two years later, the desolated parents received a letter from the FBI telling them that they found a baby who had been abandoned in a New Jersey supermarket and could match the description of the child stolen from them. Dora and Chester Fronczak felt hopeful.
It was around 1966 and, at that time, the police did not have the DNA technology that could corroborate that it was Fronczak’s biological son; so the marriage welcomed the baby. "Suddenly, they said: 'This is your son', the FBI, whom you admire as an authority," Paul explained.
Paul’s mother said that she felt the world was watching her, "she could either say, 'I'm not sure,' and put this child back into the system, or say, 'Yes, that's my son,' - and even if it was not, save this child from what could be a horrible life."
So she agreed that the baby was her son, and Fronczak grew up as, well, a Fronczak. When he found articles detailing the kidnapping in the basement of the family home when he was 10 years old, his parents forbade him to mention it again.
His mother said at the time: "Yes, you were kidnapped, we found you, we love you, and that's all you need to know." No one talked about the subject for over 40 years.
It was not until 2012 when his doubts returned, so he decided to perform some DNA tests, even though his parents refused to participate in them. A whole year passed until they spoke again.
But Paul did not stop his search for identity and hired an expert genealogist, Cece More, to investigate his case. After collating Paul's genetic data with a huge database and analyzing the family tree of those who shared genes with him, they discovered that the Fronczak were not their biological parents.
This is how he discovered that his real name is Jack Rosenthal and that his parents could have left him in that supermarket when he was just a baby. But one of the news that has most disturbed Rosenthal was knowing that he had a twin sister, Jill, who disappeared and whose search still continues.
However, Fronczak feels "grateful" for having been abandoned by his real family, since, according to his statements to the media, "they were not good people".
Now, the man who was abandoned more than five decades ago feels at peace with the parents who welcomed him and who saved his life. "I will continue to be Paul until they find the real Paul," he said.
Since DNA test has been extended to anyone curious enough to spend their money on knowing a bit more about their ancestors, there have been many family secrets coming to light that can cause devastating effects on the life of the people that never expected to uncover them.
Like Michele, who found out that her father was not her biological parent after she took the DNA test. Knowing the truth hit her really hard; she remembers having her first panic attack that night.
The body of a two-year-old boy has been found five days after his mom reported his kidnapping by a strange man. The mother is now being charged for her son’s murder.
Jordan Belliveau’s body was found on Tuesday in a wooded area of Largo, Florida. In a surprising twist, authorities have charged their mother, Charisse Stinson, with first-degree murder even though they didn't say what led to their decision.