Nelley Reyes gave birth to a son back in 1973, in Chile, but was told that her little one had died from a heart condition. Nelly never got to see her son, nor did she ever receive a birth certificate officially confirming his death.
In truth, the boy was actually stolen and then adopted by a family in Tacoma, Washington. While no one knows exactly who took the child – who was then named Travis – from his mother, he grew up believing that he had been abandoned at birth by his mother.
With his adoptive parents having no clue that Travis had been illegally taken from his mother, he decided to track his birth mother down when he turned 40. Naturally, he was shocked by what he discovered.
Speaking to local media, Travis explained: “I started by joining a pen pal website and talking with people from Chile. I found out that babies were stolen from their unwed mothers in the late ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s…This really kick-started my need to find my biological mother.”
It was through the Facebook page for Chile Adoption Birth Family Search that Travis finally got the breakthrough he was looking for, and within three to four weeks they had found his mother.
Travis and Nelly’s emotional reunion was captured in photos as members of local media stood by. An overwhelmed Nelly said: “I’m going to hug him every day. I love him so much.”
