Man Reunited with Family After 48 Years: DNA Test Uncovers Argentina's Stolen Baby
Enet
A man, taken from his mother as a newborn during Argentina's military dictatorship and raised by strangers, has been reunited with his family after 48 years through a DNA test. His sister, Adriana Metz, who searched for him for decades, spoke to him for the first time last week.
The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group dedicated to finding the estimated 500 babies stolen by the junta, helped locate him. He is the 140th child they’ve found. His identity remains private.
At a press conference, Estela de Carlotto, the group’s 94-year-old founder, announced the reunion, joined by a joyful Adriana. The man, called “Grandchild 140,” was born to Graciela Romero and Raúl Metz, political activists in Bahía Blanca. Both were arrested in December 1976 when Graciela was five months pregnant. The junta, after seizing power in 1976, targeted dissidents, detaining and torturing thousands. Around 30,000 people disappeared between 1976 and 1983.
Graciela gave birth in captivity at “La Escuelita” detention center on April 17, 1977. Both parents were tortured and are presumed killed. Adriana, their one-year-old daughter, was raised by her grandparents after neighbors cared for her.
An anonymous tip led the Grandmothers and the National Identity Commission (Conadi) to the man in April. He took a DNA test, confirming his identity last week. Adriana shared that he was raised as an only child and lives 400km away. She looks forward to meeting him in person.
Estela, who found her own grandson in 2014, emphasized the importance of their ongoing work, even after decades.
