Ancestry tests tend to reveal some rather surprising information, which is arguably one of the main reasons quite a few people take—or show interest in—them. According to YouGov, roughly two-in-ten Americans have taken a mail-in DNA test; out of those who haven’t, nearly half say they’d like to if it was free of charge.
Data suggests that the main reasons for taking such a test are wanting to learn about where their family comes from, seeking information about their health or family medical history, and making connections with previously unknown relatives.
It’s arguably safe to assume that every test can provide surprising information; however, for some people, the results reveal more than they could have seen coming. A redditor recently turned to the ‘Ask Reddit’ community seeking to hear horror stories regarding things people found out with the help of ancestry tests, and quite a few netizens were willing to share. Scroll down to find their answers on the list below and see just how unexpected the results can be.
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My grandfather did not die when my dad was 4 like we always thought. Instead, he faked his death, walked 1500km to the other end of the country, married a sixteen old girl and had 7 more children.
All the while leaving my grandmother to bring up the 6 children he had with her and his 2 children from an earlier marriage. Worst part was that he used the same names for the second batch of kids as his first lot.
That is absolutely appalling. It's bad enough he walked away leaving his children. But to start again,have more children and then name them after the ones he left behind..just rakes the p**s
Well, it's not *my* horror story. But ... police arrested the guy who murdered my mother--decades ago--because someone in the killer's family used one of those tests.
The submitted DNA allowed them to get a match on a grandparent... and a couple of years later, when they subpoena'd his DNA to corroborate their other police-work, he confessed.
It took 40 years, but I imagine this is a hell of a horror story for him. He wasn't ever a suspect before the DNA match.
My parents and I all did dna tests and I manage their profiles- theirs were done before mine was available. They each got a panicked message from a woman on the other side of the world who had matched as their daughter. She was distraught, thinking her parents had lied to her for her entire life.
When I logged in to my account, it showed that I had no dna matches with my parents which I knew to be wrong, plus the fact my mum was a young child when this woman was born made it clear the company had swapped our results. Customer service just said ‘oh well’ and offered a new test. My family found it funny but that poor woman who had spent several days freaking out thinking her life was a lie before I got her messages and responded.
So wonder how many of the "married cousins" or any other was wrong also?
About three years ago, I took a 23andMe test because I always had suspected (or maybe hoped) that my sister’s dad was also my dad—he was in my life from the beginning because my “bio” dad was a piece of work.
Well he isn’t my father, and neither is the man who I grew up believing was my dad. My sister in law did some digging and found my real biological father. He’s the one who reached out; did a dna test, wanted to meet me and my children and introduce me to my siblings.
For a while I held off because it was such a shock and I felt like it was moving really quickly. 4 months after we had first started talking, we met and I was welcome with open arms by EVERYONE. And even though it was still a little weird and I was super nervous, I am glad I took the chance to meet him.
He died from covid complications just 8 months after we found out he was my real dad.
Aw sh*t. I was just getting emotional from the happy story and than that ending emoted me for other reasons.
My cousin trying to scam the government claiming minuscule percentage Native American submitted a sample. What did happen was four children he fathered with four women other than current wives found him.
My father is from a country that is literally split in half. Half the country is ethnically Greek and the other half is ethnically Turkish. There is a long history of bad blood and our capital is split down the middle. We are culturally Greek but thanks to my brother's impulse-decision DNA test, we learned that we are ethnically more Turkish. Not really a horror story, but goes to show how stupid war is.
Let me help you, “My father is from Cyprus….where” what’s with the ambiguity?!
The wife and I both got tested. She had an incredible background. North American First Nations. South American. Portugal and all over Europe. It was so cool!
When I got mine back it said.
You’re Scottish mate.
EDIT: in no way did I mean to imply I was unhappy with my results. I just found it hilarious if you compared the findings.
I did ancestry dna a few years ago. Found out my father sexually assaulted over 50 women.
My sweetie's mother had an affair after kid #2 and ended up pregnant with #3. His dad (mother's husband) didn't bond with him the way he did with the older siblings (or the three from his previous relationship) for that reason. It was quite obvious as he got older, too, being blonde, blue eyed, skinny, and a high academic achiever vs. being overweight with dark hair, brown eyes, and not-so-academic like his five older siblings.
"Dad" died fifteen years ago and never had a good relationship with my hubby because he didn't care to invest much in a kid that wasn't his. Last December during my pregnancy, we decided it was time for him to do 23andMe so he could have some proof in hand before connecting with his mother's AP, alleged bio-dad.
And it's a damn good thing he did. Turns out that his siblings' dad was actually his real dad this whole time. Genetics are just kind of a crapshoot sometime, and the affair was total a red herring.
I actually found out I have the cancer gene from one of these tests (BRCA1) and my whole family was tested as well - my sister, brother and dad all have it too. We now get preventative cancer testing but who knows it could have very well saved one of our lives down the road - not really horror story overall, but when I first found out it was extremely scary as I was just expecting to get some entertaining report back and instead found out I had a serious health condition
No it's not a health condition yet! Having the gene in itself is not a healfh condition. OP needs to monitor this, but should NOT develop a sense of being sick, being ill, having a condition. The mental health aspects of physical health conditions, or risks, are also very important. This is something one should discuss with their therapist, to figure out how they feel about it, and how they can find a sense of strength and optimism.
My kid took the test, and 8 years later, introduced me to a half-sister I never knew I had. My father had remarried and had a son I knew about, but this younger sister took us both by surprise. And the father in all this has passed on, so... I got a sister now!
I worked in healthcare. I have heard so many NPE stories (non-parental events; basically discovering unexpected parents and/or relatives in your family tree).
A protip for parents and/or family who are still hiding genetic secrets: the era of being able to hide these things has been over for a very, very long time. I strongly suggest you come clean on your own terms before your child or relatives inevitably find out through a DNA test -- and nowadays it's not a matter of if, it's when. 🤷
It's absolutely a matter of "if" because most people aren't obsessing over their DNA at all. The majority of people haven't ever taken such a test.
Found out my Dad isn’t my biological father. My Dad’s sister gave me a DNA test for the holidays. I ended up taking it and discovered I wasn’t related to my aunt, aka not related to my Dad. But I have 10+ half-siblings with whoever my sperm donor dad is. They gaslit me for months saying the results were inaccurate, called me a liar to my sister, all this garbage. Then finally admitted it was true after 6+ months of lying. We now have a terrible relationship.
I'm adopted and was hoping to find out family info and hopefully who my birth parents were.
Found out my birth father sexually abused the kids of one of his girlfriends and is currently serving 45 years. Also he committed multiple armed robberies in the past. On top of that he's into a bunch of weird Africans are the real native americans beliefs that's he's using to try and get out of prison. Not sure he actually believes all of it but he did a DNA test in the first place to try and claim to be native.
That whole side of my gene pool is into weird religious stuff. Plus the guy he thought was his father isn't. His mom had an affair and his real dad/my grandfather had recently also just got out of prison for attempted murder then died from covid. Pretty sure he was in the drug trade in Miami in the 80s as well.
Safe to say I want zero contact from anyone on that side.
My other half is native and the horror stories are just all the teams they went through in residential schools and literally being moved to Indian territory and being given the last name orphan because all their family died.
Also my birth mother was basically stolen from her family and given to a white family and none of her siblings even know she exists.
I am beyond lucky I didn't have to grow up in any of that environment.
This sounds awful but I'd be interested in mum's side in this person's case.
My birth mom banged out six more kids after she abandoned me and LEFT ONE OF THEM to DIE in the desert alone at 10. ( She made it and got fostered where we learned about each other) Stop having and abandoning kids. F**k you lady.
one of my best friends called me one day in a panic. she did one with her father for fun. he is not her father. turns out mummy has many skeletons in the closet. bio dad never knew she existed and was SO happy to find her. we now doubt her sister’s father is her father. just a gigantic domino effect of not good.
Not a horror story, but certainly unexpected…
My sister did 23andme and matched with a niece. Apparently my brother 40m, unbeknownst to him, has a daughter. From her age we can tell she must’ve been born when my brother was in was in high school. The bio mom must’ve given her up for adoption without telling my brother. No bad feelings, they would’ve been so young (like 15 years old), so it was for the best.
I'd have bad feelings if I were that brother. I would have wanted to know!
not me but my coworker found out his bio dad was not who he thought he was. turns out he is one of the many many children of fertility doctor Donald Cline (there’s a Netflix doc about him if you’ve never heard about him)
Short rundown of who that is: Absolutely screwed situation with a doctor who worked at a fertility clinic and instead of using donor sperm/doing artificial insemination with the egg and sperm that was presented for that, he used his own. It was a big scandal back when it came out.
Summary: Got their parents arrested for murder.
It's not my story but one known around Ireland. In the 1980s, a dead baby was found on a beach in South Kerry. It had been stabbed many, many times. A massive investigation occurred, and there were appeals for the mother to come forward. In Ireland's dark past, we have treated women and especially unmarried mothers terribly. A woman on the opposite side of the county was wrongly accused of killing the baby and dumping it 3 hours away. She had given birth to a baby who was stillborn, which they buried on their farmland. Her family was coerced into signing false confessions by our police force that she had killed the baby in South Kerry, even though she did not.
Fast forward to 2022, there was suddenly a middle-aged married couple from South Kerry who were arrested on suspicion of killing the baby. Their child, who was in their 20s, submitted their DNA to an ancestory site. They got hits, and one of them was for murdered baby found on the beach. They haven't been convicted the trial hasn't happened yet.
One of my great-uncles got contacted by a woman who said he was her father, after she took a test through one of those sites. He denied it vehemently, and it caused some strife in the family until it was revealed that it was actually his older brother who was the father. Turns out he was kind of a cad in his youth, and never found out until now.
My best friends Father is my Father. We were 40 when we found out. We were born seven months apart meaning her Mother (my Mom’s best friend) was very very pregnant when I was conceived.
Uh oh, I need more details, like were either of their moms in a relationship with this guy and did either of the moms know that the other was sleeping with him?
I've got 2.
My friend knew that she was the result of a sperm donor. She signed up for 23andMe and ended up finding that she has a half-sister! Then another. And another. *And another.* I think she is up to over 2 dozen now, and almost all of them are half-sisters, and they all look so much alike. They have tracked down their biological father, and I guess he donated sperm in multiple states over the course of some years. He wasn't intentionally trying to have dozens of kids out there, but the rules of capping-out didn't really catch him because of moving states.
The other one is more direct - one of my family members got tested and found a cousin. But that cousin had a single mother, born out in California (we live in the midwest) and nobody has any idea who their father is. Probably one of my uncles that passed away, or something along those lines.
Based on my family history (everybody cheating on everybody, tons of babies in high school, kids not knowing that their fathers are not their real fathers, or kids being raised by their grandparents when their "sister" is really their mom) - I refuse to sign up. I just don't want to know, it would just stir up c**p. Ignorance is bliss.
I actually prefer the c**p stir. If everyone finds out, it HAS happened in their family, it takes the last of the stigma off of all of that, and when similar circumstances happen in this day and age, everyone can be honest about it, and we learn how to talk productively. Plus, rapists might be more dissuaded if they know there is no hiding.
My sister found out that half our mom's side of the family, are products of incest. Up and until, a few great aunts and uncles.
My mom's generation has been really big into tracing our family tree. Turns out grandpa had two families (that we know of) that lived down the street from each other. If that wasn't enough to discourage my family from uncovering skeletons, a few years later one of my cousins took a 23 & me test to find out that our maternal grandfather is also her dad :/
Edit: for those asking, the cousin in question is the daughter of my mother's sister... So we're thinking some downright unholy things went on. Unclear as my grandfather and aunt are both dead now
Found out that I’m married to my cousin.
First cousin sounds weird because names should've sound familiar to other family members - any other cousin, meh - doesn't matter.
Grew up pretty normal for the most part, divorced parents but happy life. Wanted to know how my ancestry since I don’t know past my paternal great grandmothers maiden name. Got the results this past Christmas Eve.
Found a half sister (along with 2 other half siblings) that is too old to be my dads (he’d have been a literal child) and put 2 and 2 together and it turns out my dad is not my father.
Can’t ask my mom, she’s dead. My bio father is dead and no one knows anything and the people I have told (no one on my dad’s side, too scared to break that news) are shocked.
I know nothing about this man but his name and his mom’s name, who is also gone, I believe.
I just find out this big ol bombshell so suddenly and then hit a dead end just as quickly. It was an interesting and juicy Christmas for sure.
I’m 55% Swiss though which is random as hell!
Not that much, Switzerland sent the poor people to America because it was cheaper than helping them ...
My mother was one of seven children of an abusive mother and beloved father. Twenty grandchildren (my cousins, my brother and me). Through testing some cousins have determined that at least three of the seven children were not the biological offspring of my grandmother’s husband. We aren’t telling all the other cousins until the last uncle dies (he’s 93).
So...it might be a while it might not,but hopefully you uncle lives a happy rest of his life till the time comes.
Found out (doing the Ancestry DNA) that my paternal grandmother cheated on her husband with her (also married) family doctor. My dad has brothers and a sister that he never knew about. Dad says that the doctor must have known. He looks EXACTLY like his brothers, and the Doc use to always call him "son" during his appointments. His dad (that raised him) also must have known, cause he treated him like c**p, and made backhanded comments that, knowing what we know now, tell us he knew. Or suspected at the very least.
Not a horror story, but the opposite; my mom always told me my father wasn’t my biological father. I hated her for telling me and didn’t want to believe it. A few years after I did 23andme, I checked my “shared DNA” list and saw a cousin I was close to, from my paternal side. I was so relieved and happy and thankful I never told anyone what my mom told me.
We alway knew my grandma had my dad before she got married but through ancestry we found out she actually had another baby, after my dad but before she got married (different dads)
Someone in my grandparent’s generation gave up a baby for adoption 60 years ago and our family still doesn’t know/won’t admit who it was. She only joined 23&Me because her daughters encouraged her to find out more about her birth family for health reasons. We now have family members who won’t take the test.
I would say that the family members refusing to ever take a test, is a great way to start a list of suspects. The process of elimination can help to get to the truth.
I thought I was all French...Turns out I'm very....ENGLISH!!!!
Not via 23&Me or anything like that, but after my Grandmother passed away my Mum found some documents which led her to believe that Grandma might’ve given a child up for adoption.
She spent quite a bit of time and effort investigating and eventually confirmed her suspicion and tracked her half-brother down living in another state.
As often happens though, they had very little in common. He’d had a pretty rough childhood and compensated for that via alcohol. However he latched on to the idea of a new family pretty hard and now Mum gets to enjoy semi-regular drunken phone calls from her half brother.
And it could be a good initiative for him to go sober if he ever wants to one of these days.
Finding out they were hacked revealing ancestry, DNA data, birth dates, locations and profile pictures.
I have never done one of these tests and never will. I just don't trust where all the information goes
Not exactly sure if its a horror story but here you go.
Had been seeing a girl for about 2 years when she fell pregnant. There were some strange things happening around that time, and I had a gut feeling that something was off. Spoke to a good friend of mine about it and he was adamant that I get a DNA test done. Said that he'd seen blokes find out that "their" kid wasnt theirs years later, but it was too late because they'd grown attached. Supported my partner through the pregnancy anyway.
Come to when the childs born and I just had this feeling that it wasnt mine. Sometimes you just know things. This was dueing covid times so things were tricky. I ordered the tests and after some time was able to get the samples, send them off and get the results. It was an ordeal, to be frank. All in all I took care of that child for 6 months, and all that time I had to keep appearances up. Had to look like a good father, partner, and like things were fine. Got the results and it wasnt mine.
That was over 3 years ago. Still think about it everyday.
Note: this post originally had 57 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
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It's baffling how these service can operate with minimal oversight on reliability and data management, despite a terrible track record. There have been multiple tests by journalists and researchers where the same sample submitted to different services gave wildly different results (Gizmodo, 2018), or where the same twins' DNA returned inconsistent results from different companies (CBC Canada, 2019). US G.A.O. did an industry review in 2010 and concluded that the data provided by those services is "misleading and of little or no practical use to consumers", while posing very serious concerns on data usage and security, also recording a very high occurrence of DNA samples submitted without consent by people that is not the legitimate owner. Both the British Medical Journal of Sports Medicine and the NIH's National Center for Biotechnology Information published studies disproving the claims of those tests being able to accurately predict the talents and natural skills of kids.
AncestryDNA, MyHeritage and 23andMe all had at least one major data breach in the last few years, with sensitive data stolen by unknown third parties. The latest occurrence -on December last year- saw 23andMe leaking data about 8 million people including names, relationships, location, and health data. This was just two months after a separate hacking exposed data of about 4 million people, including the publication of names and location of about 150.000 users belonging to sensitive minority groups.
Load More Replies... Or that you found out that the DNA company sold your info to your insurance company..?
It's baffling how these service can operate with minimal oversight on reliability and data management, despite a terrible track record. There have been multiple tests by journalists and researchers where the same sample submitted to different services gave wildly different results (Gizmodo, 2018), or where the same twins' DNA returned inconsistent results from different companies (CBC Canada, 2019). US G.A.O. did an industry review in 2010 and concluded that the data provided by those services is "misleading and of little or no practical use to consumers", while posing very serious concerns on data usage and security, also recording a very high occurrence of DNA samples submitted without consent by people that is not the legitimate owner. Both the British Medical Journal of Sports Medicine and the NIH's National Center for Biotechnology Information published studies disproving the claims of those tests being able to accurately predict the talents and natural skills of kids.
AncestryDNA, MyHeritage and 23andMe all had at least one major data breach in the last few years, with sensitive data stolen by unknown third parties. The latest occurrence -on December last year- saw 23andMe leaking data about 8 million people including names, relationships, location, and health data. This was just two months after a separate hacking exposed data of about 4 million people, including the publication of names and location of about 150.000 users belonging to sensitive minority groups.
Load More Replies... Or that you found out that the DNA company sold your info to your insurance company..?
