I found out I was one of two babies switched at birth after taking DNA test… then an even bigger shock came
A WOMAN discovered by chance that she was one of the three babies switched at birth at a maternity ward in Brazil 28 years ago.
The huge blunder came to light when Raylane Amaral, 28, did a DNA test and discovered her mother wasn't related to her, which led to a mystery that went far deeper.
The shocking discovery was made on January 24 after Raylane, who lives in the US now, tried to piece together her Brazilian family tree.
The drama deepened when she learnt through her DNA that she had a sibling who had completely different parents.
Soon, her findings would uncover a far deeper web of mistakes that revealed two other girls had been switched at birth and had grown up with the wrong families.
At least three babies were switched at the Dr Deodato Cartaxo Maternity Hospital in Cajazeiras, Paraiba State on August 5, 1994.
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It all started when Raylene uploaded her DNA test to MyHeritage and quickly was notified about the possibility of a male biological sibling, Lennon.
Raylane told local media: "The first feeling was one of surprise...thinking 'what do you mean, a brother?'
"Immediately after being surprised, I got excited about the possibility of having a half-brother on my father's side.
"The shock was even greater when I realised it would be a 'full' sibling, with both the same father and mother."
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If neither Raylane nor her recently discovered brother Lennon Carvalho had used the website, the switch would likely never have been discovered.
For 28 years, neither had suspected anything was amiss.
Raylane had never questioned the physical differences between her and her family, whom she visits at least once a year after her relocation to the US five years ago.
"It was a huge shock and also very painful to bring this news to my family, especially to Mum," she said.
Raylene found her brother on LinkedIn and wrote to him saying: "This is probably going to be the weirdest message you'll ever receive...Are you, by any chance, from Paraiba and have you done a DNA test with MyHeritage?"
Over LinkedIn, Raylane explained her very high DNA match with Lennon and began to ask him questions.
Lennon, 30, now lives in Ireland and has two sisters: Michele and Milena, who grew up in Brazil with their mother, Luisa Maria.
It transpired that Raylane was born in the same hospital and on the same day as his sister Milena.
The wait for the DNA result was painful. Time seemed to standstill.
Raylane Amaral
After studying her profile picture, Lennon quickly noticed physical similarities between her and his mother, Luisa Maria.
Lennon wrote back saying: "So, I don't know what to say. You look just like my mother. I don't know what to think.
"In fact, there has always been a story that when my mother was giving birth to my sister, there was another woman also giving birth in the same room and at the same time."
Lennon then broke the news to his mother. Once the initial shock had died down, Raylane and Milena began arranging a DNA test.
Raylane said: "The wait for the DNA result was painful. Time seemed to stand still. The anxiety to have a definitive answer was very high."
She continued: " I had a lot of hope that everything could be just a mistake in the first result and a great coincidence that Milena and I were born on the same day and place.
"It would be much easier for everyone."
In early February, Raylane found out the shocking truth that she was not biologically related to the woman who raised her, Marlucy, but instead to Luisa Maria, who raised Lennon and Milena.
The drama continued to unfold when Milena discovered she was not related to either Luisa Maria or Marlucy - meaning a third baby had been switched.
Raylane said she felt relieved in part but still unable to rest knowing that her mother, Marlucy, had not yet found her biological daughter.
So she desperately continued to search for the mystery women from Cajazeiras born on the same date in the same ward.
Raylane discovered a woman who looked strikingly similar - Marcelma Bezerra, who lives in a rural area of Cajazeiras.
A DNA test confirmed that Marcelma was in fact the daughter of the woman who raised Raylane, Marlucy.
Marcelma told local media: "I am more relieved, compared to the apprehension 20 days ago. I am better, I am trying to reconcile, to join, to be one family, never to divide."
Now, the families hope that the distressing puzzle is solved.
If Milena is confirmed as the daughter of the woman who raised Marcelma - the saga comes to a close.
If the DNA test is negative, it means that yet another baby was involved in the switch.
Although Raylane is happy that her mother has finally found her biological daughter, she hopes that justice will be served.
She wants the person responsible for the switch will be found and held to account.
"I really hope it was a mistake, an accident... All of this is already so traumatic that finding out that it may have been done intentionally would bring us more suffering.
"But I hope that the person responsible appears and pays for it," she said.
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The maternity hospital's legal department has stated that no records for that fateful day in August 1994 have been found among its files.
As it stands, it remains an ongoing mystery as to why the switch happened and who did it.
