Kidnappers Lie to 4-Year-Old Girl That She Is Adopted — 53 Years Later She Finds Her Real Family

A woman's life turned upside down after discovering she wasn't adopted as initially told. It took 53 years for her to learn the truth about the parents who raised her and reunite with the family she was supposed to be with.

When Susan Preece-Gervaise was four years old in 1969, a couple offered to take her on a two-week trip to Florida to visit Disney World. She lived on a traveller site with her mom, brothers, and sisters at the time, and her mom thought it would be a good opportunity for the young girl to experience something she couldn't easily give her.

Thus, Susan's mom agreed to send her on a trip with the couple and their two sons. All they needed was Susan's birth certificate and a letter granting parental permission, and her name was added to the family's passport.

Remembering Her Birth Family

Susan recalls living with her old family on a travelers' site despite not being travelers. She and her siblings were in and out of foster care because her mom could not afford to raise all of her seven kids.

It was then that a couple originally from Scotland started getting close to her. That couple offered to take her with them on a holiday to Disney World, and that was the beginning of her new life.

A Life-Changing Lie

Little did Susan's family know that the couple wouldn't be taking Susan to Disney World. Instead, they traveled to Canada before flying halfway across the world to Australia, where Susan would live her entire life.

Growing up, Susan never felt different from those around her. She knew she was adopted—that's what she was made to believe—but it didn't affect her. She was happy with her life in Australia.

When she was younger, Susan was told by the couple that her biological mother had disowned her. It was then that they allegedly "adopted" her.

Her "adoptive" mother died when she was ten, so her dad raised her mostly. However, when she was 16, her dad had no choice but to tell her the truth about her situation.

She was forced to live in New Zealand for three years until she hit legal age and can apply for an adult passport herself.

Discovering The Truth

The family had traveled to New Zealand, and while Susan didn't need a passport to enter the country, she needed one to return to Australia.

Susan applied for a passport, but she needed her mother or father's signature for the application to push through. She thought it would be easy to do that, since she had her dad with her. It was then that her father revealed the truth that she wasn't actually adopted but stolen.

At the time, Susan didn't really think much about what her father had revealed. She carried on with her life and didn't attempt to contact her biological family.

Susan was forced to live in New Zealand for three years until she hit legal age and could apply for an adult passport herself. She was 19 when she returned to Australia, where she married her husband Hamilton.

Moving On with Her Family

Two years after getting married, Susan's dad died when she was only 21. She lived her adult life with her husband, raising three kids and spending time with their four granddaughters.

While Susan never bothered to search for her birth family, it wasn't the same for her relatives in the United Kingdom. In many occasions, her family tried to find her for years.

It was only when Susan came across a woman who was also adopted, that she was finally inspired her to seek more information about where she came from. Talking about the moment, she said:

"It wasn't until I was talking to a woman who was adopted and she asked me, 'Wouldn't you like to know what they (my family) is feeling?’ It was like a lightbulb moment."

Getting In Touch with Her Past

With the help of Susan's husband, Hamilton, Susan was able to track her biological family. He posted a message on a Pontefract Facebook page disclosing her situation, and in just a few minutes, they achieved results.

When she got a hold of her biological family, they were crying after finding out that Susan was alive. They had been searching for her for years, but could not trace her because she changed her last name.

After finding her relatives, Susan and Hamilton flew to the United Kingdom, where she was reunited with her siblings. She timed their trip to happen during her birthday so that she could spend it with them for the first time in years.

They got to celebrate her 57th birthday with a party. Together, they caught up with their lives and tried to put pieces together to try and figure out what happened.

The whole discovery had been life-changing for the entire family. With one of Susan's biological siblings suffering from dementia, her daughter claims that getting to know her long-lost sister has made her mother complete.

Unfortunately, Susan's biological mom died eight years prior to her finding their family. She heartbreakingly never knew if her daughter was safe.

Conflicting Comments from The Internet

People online didn't know how to feel about Susan's situation. Some couldn't believe her mother would let her go off on a trip so easily, while others believed she gained a better life after she was kidnapped.

"Why would a parent give some stranger a child's passport and even let her go so far away to Disneyland? Beyond my comprehension." – Janet Grange (October 7, 2022)

"Seems like she had a better life than in and out of foster care. At least she was loved and wanted." – Marion Thomas (October 7, 2022)

"So glad she was spoiled and taken care of. Poor mom dying without answers though! Glad she has her family again." – Hollie Potter (October 7, 2022)

"I’m sorry what… I swear these stories are just made up some times! This can’t be right.. surely nobody trusts any body enough to just hand over a birth certificate, passport and everything else to identify this child to people they didn’t know and said ok to going to a different country [...]" – Leigh Morris (October 8, 2022)

Ultimately, Susan is happy that her story now serves as an inspiration for many others. "It gives a message to anyone who has lost someone that miracles do happen. There is hope," she concluded.

In another nerve-wracking story, a mom witnesses the moment her two children are kidnapped in a fast-moving car. Without hesitation, she jumps on it to save them. Click here to read all about it.