When searching for your birth family it’s not uncommon to discover that you have half or even full siblings that you didn’t know of before.

So, what happens now you’ve discovered one of your siblings was also adopted and is still out there somewhere? Naturally, many feel the urge to continue their search in order to find their lost sibling.

But where do you even begin on a search like this? We’ve put a few tips together for those looking to make a start on their search…

Collecting Information

Sometimes you will be looking for a sibling you know almost nothing about. But for those of you in contact with your birth family and they are willing to help you search for your adopted sibling, now is the time to start asking questions!

Your biological family, whether that be your parents or other biological relatives, may be able to provide you with details of your sibling or the adoption, such as:

• A birth name
• A birth date, or a month and year
• A birth town, city or state
• Names and possible dates of birth of the parents
• The age of the sibling when they were adopted
• Their adopted name or an old address
• The name of the adoption agency at the time
• Anecdotal memories, photographs or documents
  

DNA testing

One of the greatest tools we have when searching for biological relatives is DNA testing. Using simple saliva based testing kits from companies such as AncestryDNA and 23andMe you can add your DNA profile to their databases – Ancestry for instance has a database of 20 million people and counting!

We recommend taking DNA tests with more than one company to increase your chances of matching with relatives across several databases. Even if you don’t necessarily connect to your lost sibling straight away, the results may provide you with matches of second and third cousins, aunties or uncles for instance – information that is useful for building the bigger picture. 

It may be that your lost sibling has not yet taken steps to add their DNA to the databases – but one day, when they do, it will match with your DNA profile – sibling matches are close enough that you can be confident of the accuracy too.

Ask the Experts!

You’re now at the point where you have collected as much information as you can, some of it seems tenuous or even irrelevant and you’ve taken a couple of DNA tests – what do you do now?

Speak to the experts at The Adoption Specialist, led by Lisa Townsend, an experienced Private Investigator who specializes in adoption searches throughout the United States of America, Canada and Germany. Lisa has been reuniting and bringing joy and relief to families who were separated by adoption or relinquishment since 1998, shortly after finding her own sister.

At the Adoption Specialist, we complete searches efficiently, undertaking all of the research needed to reunite you with your family members as soon as possible. 

Upon concluding the search we will provide you with the most current name, address and any other significant information about the person that you are looking for. Every search receives the same quality of service whether the task is easy or not, you can be sure that we will complete the search and help you reconnect with your family.
Get in touch today to arrange your FREE consultation on (562) 438-6589 or submit a Search Request Form. For further information, guides and top tips when searching for your biological family, visit our Blog section here.