A woman’s world was turned upside down after a DNA test uncovered a family secret that had been hidden for years. She took the test casually, not expecting to unravel an ‘unsolved mystery’ in her family tree.
Sharing her story on Reddit, she said: “I think my DNA ancestry results revealed something my family is not ready for. My first cousin did the Ancestry test, and it showed up as a 2nd cousin once removed. We share 3% DNA. Our parents, my dad and his mum are siblings. They have the same mother and father, as we’ve all been raised to believe. Why would I only have 3% DNA in common with my first cousin?”
She suspected her grandmother may have been unfaithful during a rocky period in her marriage – a suspicion that no one in the family wanted to acknowledge. However, the DNA evidence has forced the family to reconsider these long-standing rumours.
Seeking advice, she asked the Reddit community: “My concern is that either my aunt (my cousin’s mum) or my dad is not my grandfather’s child. Is there any way to know this without my aunt and dad doing their DNA tests? Also, my grandfather and grandmother have both passed away.
“I can purchase the package that shows which of my DNA comes from my father or mother. Would comparing that to my cousin’s DNA somehow give me answers? For example, if my DNA that shows as coming from my father is DNA that is not present in my cousin’s report… could that confirm that my father and my cousin’s mother are only half-siblings?
“I have loads of Indian, European, and African DNA. My cousin is basically 100% Indian. I know a lot of my mix comes from my mother, but if my dad has some of that European and/or African and my cousin doesn’t… that has to be confirmation, no?”
One user responded to her post, stating: “Your dad and your aunt are most likely half-siblings – at best. It’s impossible for this match to be your full 1st cousin.”
Another user added: “See if your dad will do the test for you ‘for genealogical research’. My parents and grandfather did. They didn’t care about the results, they just wanted to help me research the family. Having your parents in there can be very helpful.”
In summary, a woman’s DNA test results have unearthed a family secret that challenges long-standing beliefs about her relatives. The unexpected discovery has prompted her to seek advice on how to further investigate the mysteries in her family tree.