Chicago Tribune

'It's a wild ride': Online DNA search leads woman to 15 half-siblings she never knew she had

Morgan Richardson was out on a walk one evening when she got a cellphone notification: The DNA testing website she was using had found a new relative.

Richardson stopped on the street to check the details, and that's how she discovered, at age 31, that she had a half-sibling she'd never seen or heard of before.

"It's exciting, but it is a little bit jarring," said Richardson, who was conceived via a sperm donor and has found 15 half-siblings in the past four years.

"I always wonder, 'What do they do?' 'Where do they live?' 'What are they like?' 'What's their experience as a donor-offspring child?'"

Richardson, a multimedia artist who lives in Chicago's Pilsen

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune3 min read
Commentary: To Defend Academic Freedom, Keep Politics Out Of It
April 17 was a dark day for academic freedom in the United States. Columbia University President Nemat Shafik told a congressional hearing that some statements heard during recent protests — such as “from the river to the sea” — might be punished by
Chicago Tribune2 min readCrime & Violence
Murder Charges Approved In Fatal Shooting Of Chicago Officer Luis Huesca
CHICAGO — A first-degree murder charge was approved by Cook County prosecutors Thursday in the fatal April shooting of off-duty Chicago police officer Luis Huesca. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office said in a statement Thursday that 22-ye
Chicago Tribune3 min read
‘Hacks’ Review: Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance Sets Her Sights On A Late-night TV Gig In Season 3
There’s real tenderness in a show like “Hacks.” Real cruelty, too, and that’s separate from its insult comedy sensibility. Back for its third and strongest season on Max, the Joan Rivers-esque showbiz veteran Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her semi-o

Related Books & Audiobooks