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.
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Données mises à jour le 30/09/2026
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CeCe Moore Gets Canded: DNA, Friendship & the Stories Behind the Cases
Épisode 52
mercredi 23 septembre 2026 • Durée 47:06
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/8yFKt23IJs8
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:11 Welcome, Sponsor, and a Guatemalan Father Case
03:05 Introducing CeCe Moore
03:37 Michael Jackson, USC, and a Music-World Sister
07:32 How CeCe Moved From Music Into DNA
11:23 Alternate Careers and Brute-Force Genealogy
16:14 Celebrity Cases and Growing Up Hip Hop
19:03 Broadway Dreams and Coming Full Circle on Camera
22:02 Midroll — Family Tree DNA and BirthParentFinder
23:37 Nancy Anderson and Tudor Chirila
28:23 Distant Matches, Gasperina, and Lindy Sue Biechler
29:58 Madison Hemings and Jefferson DNA
32:24 Jay's Spingarn Cousin and a Poland Trip
35:09 What If Not Genetic Genealogy
37:04 RootsTech and Southern California Genealogy Jamboree
39:44 Rapid Fire
45:14 Thanks and Close
Family Tree DNA: https://www.findingfamilydna.com/?utm_source=redcircle&utm_medium=social&utm_content=com+des&utm_campaign=finding+family+dna+ep+52
CeCe Moore: https://www.cecemoore.com/
Finding Your Roots (PBS): https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/
RootsTech: 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 👨🚀
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Finding Family DNA, CeCe Moore, Genetic Genealogy, Cold Case DNA, Family Tree DNA, BirthParentFinder, Finding Your Roots, DNA Detective, Brute Force Genealogy, RootsTech
A Tragic Discovery About My Birth Father Led Me to My Sister | Ep. 51
Épisode 51
mardi 8 septembre 2026 • Durée 29:08
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, we follow the story of a woman who set out to find the birth father she never knew, hoping for closure but bracing herself for anything. Using DNA and genetic genealogy, our investigator uncovers his identity in just 48 hours — only to reveal a devastating truth about his past. Despite the shock, the search doesn't end there: newly discovered siblings step forward, offering unexpected connection and healing. From heartbreaking revelations to the surprising bonds that follow, this episode explores how identity is shaped by more than biology alone. It's a raw, honest conversation about resilience, family, and choosing connection even after the hardest news imaginable.
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
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, we're celebrating a major milestone with a special look back at the journey so far. Host Jay Rosenzweig sits down with longtime co-host Misty, plus the studio team behind the scenes, to reflect on how far the show has come and the moments that made it unforgettable. Along the way, we revisit three past reunion stories, hearing directly from former guests about where their journeys have led since their episodes first aired — from relationships that healed beautifully to ones still finding their footing. We also share heartfelt congratulations from friends of the show along the way. It's an emotional, behind-the-scenes celebration of the reunions, the heartbreak, and the hope that have defined this show from the very beginning.
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
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, filmmaker Rebecca Autumn Sansom joins Jay to share the story behind her acclaimed documentary, Reckoning with the Primal Wound, and the winding path that led her back to both of her birth parents. Rebecca opens up about the years-long process of earning renowned author Nancy Verrier's trust for the film, the emotional risk of reconnecting with her birth father after a chance discovery sent her searching, and the complicated, sometimes fragile nature of reunion relationships. She also shares an early look at her upcoming sequel, Reckoning with the Paternal Wound, and the real-life tension around what to include when someone else's story becomes part of yours. The conversation turns candid as Rebecca and Jay dig into the recent Hulu documentary My Grandfather Charles Manson, weighing what belongs in a documentary and what doesn't. Along the way, Jay shares a moving pro bono case that reveals just how personal the choice to reconnect with a birth parent can be.
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
09:14 Her relationship with her birth mother today
11:02 Birth mom vs. "first mother"
15:36 Documentary trailer
Advertising Inquiries:
I Broke Into an Adoption Agency to Find My Name
Épisode 48
mardi 28 juillet 2026 • Durée 36:31
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, we sit down with an author and adoptee who turned a decades-long search for her birth family into three deeply personal books. Adopted in Denver in the early 1960s, she spent years chasing fragments of her past before taking a daring, real-life risk to uncover her birth mother's identity. What followed was a reunion that didn't unfold the way she'd imagined, a startling twist involving the man she thought was her birth father, and a DNA confirmation that didn't arrive until decades later. Along the way, she discovered how trauma can freeze a birth parent in time, and how healing often means letting your story become your strength instead of your wound. Her journey took her from a broken lock and a library microfiche machine to a small-town diner phone call that changed everything. Now she's using her voice to help other adoptees find their own truth — and their own community.
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
00:45 Case Update: A Birth Father Reconnects After Decades
01:35 Meet Linda Pevac, Author of Three Adoption Memoirs
02:45 Growing Up Knowing She Was Adopted
04:00 Deciding to Search for Her Birth Mother
04:45 Starting the Search in Secret, 1987
06:00 Non-Identifying Information from the Agency
07:00 Planning to Break Into the Adoption Agency
Advertising Inquiries:
A Regifted DNA Kit Uncovered My Birth Parents
Épisode 47
mardi 14 juillet 2026 • Durée 43:17
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, we meet a California adoptee who grew up knowing she was adopted but never imagined how her story would unfold. After decades of quiet curiosity, a chance moment during the pandemic sparked her decision to finally search for her birth family. What followed was a whirlwind two-week journey that led her to not just one, but two loving families she never knew she had. She shares the emotional first meeting with her birth mother on her 52nd birthday, the surprising ease of connecting with her birth father and his family, and the powerful realization that biology and love can run deeper than anyone expects. It's a story about second chances, unexpected belonging, and the courage it takes to open a door you thought was closed forever.
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
DNA Revealed The Shocking Truth About My Birth Parents
Épisode 46
mardi 30 juin 2026 • Durée 38:05
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jason didn't learn he was adopted until his late 40s — and a simple request for his original birth certificate cracked open decades of family secrets. After a DNA test revealed zero biological connection to the woman who raised him, Jason turned to genetic genealogy and, within weeks, was face to face with the truth about where he came from. What followed was an emotional reunion with a birth mother living abroad, a newfound sister he'd dreamed of having since childhood, and a paternal twist that stunned even our DNA expert. We break down how unusual centimorgan numbers led to a discovery no one expected, and how Jason chose compassion and discretion over confrontation. It's a story about identity, forgiveness, and finding family in the most unexpected place.
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
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay sits down with Linda Burleson, a woman who spent over five years searching for the identity of her birth father after learning at age sixty-plus that the man who raised her was not her biological dad. What made Linda's case one of the longest in BirthParentFinder.com's history was the absence of any close DNA matches — just a wall of third, fourth, and fifth cousins that no genealogist could break through. Then, just two to three weeks after Linda had decided to give up entirely, a woman named Diane Bennett took an Ancestry DNA test on a whim — and changed everything. Linda and Diane are paternal half-sisters, and their first phone call felt completely natural, like they had known each other their whole lives. From a beach walk in North Carolina to a cruise already booked together, this is a story about the power of patience, the miracle of timing, and two women who found in each other exactly what they didn't know they were missing.
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
My Birth Father's Family Ghosted Us — So I'm Speaking Out
Épisode 44
dimanche 31 mai 2026 • Durée 32:02
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay and co-host Misty Gillis introduce Carla Salvatierra, a 29-year-old woman born in Los Angeles County who has spent years searching for the truth about her biological father. After discovering that neither the man on her birth certificate nor the man her family insisted was her father shared any DNA with her, Carla found herself starting completely from scratch — with no name, no country, and no answers. With the help of Misty's careful DNA analysis and genealogical research into Guatemalan civil records, the team was able to narrow Carla's birth father down to one of three brothers living in the United States. Despite sending letters and making direct contact with one of the brothers, the family has gone silent — and in a first for the show, Carla comes on air to make a heartfelt, tearful plea directly to her birth father. A devoted mother of two who runs her own construction company, Carla isn't asking for money or a lifelong commitment — she simply wants to know where she comes from, see her father's face, and finally have the medical history her children deserve.
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
In this episode of Finding Family DNA, attorney, author, and TEDx speaker Maria Leonard Olsen shares the shocking DNA discovery that changed her identity forever. After taking a 23andMe test, Maria learned that the man who raised her was not her biological father. What followed was a years-long search that led her to an aging Hollywood actor, former NFL player, and legendary Del Mar horse handicapper living in California. Maria opens up about navigating a non-paternity event (NPE), meeting her biological father for the first time at a racetrack, and how DNA testing can uncover life-changing family secrets no one saw coming.
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
Découvrez des podcasts liées à Finding Family DNA. Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
Adoption Reunion, Closed Adoption Search, DNA Genealogy, Adoptee Story, Italian Heritage, Birth Mother Found, Genetic Genealogy, Family Discovery, BirthParentFinder, New York Adoption
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
NPE story, non paternity event, 23andMe discovery, DNA surprise, genetic genealogy, family secrets, finding biological father, DNA identity discovery, adoption and DNA, birth father reunion, ancestry DNA, family mystery, DNA testing podcast, unexpected DNA results, identity and family history, Chris Olsen
