Devastated Man Is Told His Son of 20 Years May Not Be His, Decides to Take a DNA Test

A father was heartbroken to discover that the son he raised for two decades may not even be his. He took a DNA test to uncover the truth, and he wasn't prepared for what he was about to uncover.

Deceit is one of the most painful things you could ever experience in a relationship. Add unfaithfulness to the equation, and you're dealt with trauma that may take years to unpack.

For Mick Reynolds, he couldn't have ever imagined being deceived by his then-girlfriend Melissa Hernaman. When she told him she was pregnant when Mick was 21, he manned up and took responsibility for their child.

Taking Responsibility for Lockie

"Is he even mine?" he asked her at the time. After all, they were in an on-and-off relationship, and he couldn't be too sure.

"Yeah, of course," Melissa replied. With that confirmation, Mick did everything he could to be a better person. He wasn't ready to be a dad, but he went on the journey anyway.

Their son Lockie became his life. They raised him in Hernaman's family home until he finally decided to leave when Lockie was seven.

Even after he left the home, Mick never shunned away his responsibility towards Lockie. He shared custody with Melissa and paid for their son's expenses.

He Gave Lockie Child Support

For ten and a half years, Mick paid $400 every two weeks in child support. He did that until Lockie turned 18.

Mick eventually had a family of his own. He had a younger son named Rory, who was clearly his "mini-me."

For years, he silently wondered why Lockie didn't look anything like him. However, he didn't think much of it because he loved Lockie dearly.

Lockie's Sudden Death

In 2019, Lockie met a terrible accident while playing soccer. His heart suddenly stopped, and he collapsed. Mick got the horrifying call where they told him Lockie had collapsed and was being treated. Moments later, they revealed that Lockie did not make it.

Lockie was only 20 years old when he passed away. Mick was left wondering what happened, as the only explanation given to him was that he had "sudden heart failure."

Over a year later, Melissa got in touch with Mick to say the hospital where their son was born wanted to do some genetic testing to discover what really happened.

Uncovering the Truth

Ultimately, Melissa never reached out again. So, Mick's partner, Sharna Timmer, decided to do some research on her own.

They got in touch with the hospital where Lockie was born, and Mick got tested. When the results turned out normal, all eyes turned to Melissa.

Likewise, Melissa wasn't carrying the gene that cost Lockie's life. "Well, who, where did it come from?" Mick asked her over the phone.

Melissa fell silent and hung up quickly. Eventually, she texted him, admitting to her decades-long lie: she wasn't sure that Mick was actually Lockie's father.

Melissa Admitted Her Mistake

Melissa revealed that she had a one-night stand with one person back in the day. She told Mick he could undergo a DNA test, but nothing was going to change the fact that he helped raise Lockie and that he was his son.

It took a while for Melissa to release Lockie's DNA for paternity testing. When she finally did, Mick got the most heartbreaking result, which read:

"Michael Bruce Reynolds, you are not the biological father of Lachlan Bailey Hernaman."

With Melissa admitting to her one-night stand, there was only one question that remained: who was Lockie's biological father? It was a question that Mick wanted the answer to.

Melissa refused to tell him until he eventually discovered the name. He called the man, and they spoke for ten minutes straight.

Towards the end of their call, the man admitted that he had never heard about or seen Lockie all his life. They never determined whether or not the man had the gene that would explain Lockie's sudden death.

At that point, Mick wanted nothing more than an apology from Melissa. He felt betrayed, deceived, and heartbroken.

More than wanting an apology, he also mentioned the money he worked hard to give Lockie through the years. But Melissa ultimately told him that he "should have paid more."

Lockie Will Always Be His Son

Despite everything that happened, Mick still considers Lockie his son. He visits his grave to grieve him and to spend time with him.

However, after all the legal back-and-forth that had gone on between Mick and Melissa (which he had since stopped), his visitation rights may be taken away. Melissa allegedly plans to change Lockie's gravestone to get Mick's name out of it.

More than the emotional damage the discovery brought about, Mick's marriage was affected, and so was his career. But with everything said and done, justice for Mick is simply getting an apology from Melissa. To date, she has not publicly acknowledged what she had done to him.

In a similar story, a 91-year-old woman discovers before her death that she had raised a stranger's son as her own after a hospital switch-up. Click here to read all about it.