Maureen Maher's adoption diaries | Forensic Files

I've always known I was adopted my father used to tell me we walked into a room full of a hundred babies and picked
out the cutest fattest kid we could find I loved that story of course it was nowhere near the truth but that adoption
Story made me feel wanted chosen by my parents the story of an orphan's abandonment particularly one from a
foreign country can also play a significant role in shaping their life it may be the only connection that child
will ever have to a birth mother they will never meet or a country they will never visit but getting to the truth of
how and why a child was given up is challenging especially if they have been dumped in a public Marketplace or worse
yet stolen while covering this story we met Betsy Emanuel she became obsessed with finding the truth about this little
Guatemalan girl named Maria Fernanda whom she had tried to adopt when Betsy learned Maria had been abducted she
became instrumental and reuniting birth mother and daughter so we are with Betsy
Emanuel and the band goinging from uh the hotel in Guatemala City to meet uh Maria Fernanda she has been waiting 5
years to meet with Maria Fernanda and Maria's mother mild for me um I've been to a handful of uh adoption reunions
including my own with birth parents between birth parents and adoptees and uh sometimes adopted parents are there
but this is the first time I've been to a reunion where it's adoptive mother and
birth parent and that the child is still with the birth parent it's an incredible
um moment in Betsy's life and you feel the anticipation and that level of anxiety and excitement in your stomach I
felt it when I met my birth family and I can feel it again today because these women are so deeply connected uh I feel
really grateful to be here for this opportunity but this is going to be a long and emotional night for
everybody and it was next we flew to Congo following the Owen family as they searched for the
truth about two sisters from Congo they were trying to adopt the entire adoption
had begun to unravel when they asked a simple question where did these girls come from so yesterday or it was the day
before we flew 13 hours from uh Washington Dallas into Ethiopia and then another 3 or 4 hours into the Congos
quite a journey already as you can see behind me there are these walls and what struck me when we were coming out of the
airport wasn't just the uh tremendous tremendous poverty here was that there are walls buil build right up to the
roadway and you have no idea what's behind anyone of it could be a mansion it could be a Convent it could be a slum
and I think it's almost indicative of what you find when you're here in the Congo there are walls in front of
people's emotions and walls up around the stories that they tell you and you don't know what's behind it layers and
layers of stories layers and layers of Truth and lies maybe not lies but certainly not the whole truth truth and
perhaps that's the problem when you're dealing with a deeply emotional issue like the love and Welfare of a child
things can get pretty explosive like this raid we witnessed at a congales orphanage this battle was over the
custody of seven children so this is day four in the Congo hry all right day four
uh we're here with the Owens family now this is the day this is the moment we are waiting for them to come out and let
us know if they get to get on a plane and go home with their girls the problem is there have been serious issues with
the story of Ava and Zoe's abandonment and there is no one from their birth family to confirm details but even when
there are birth family members around it can still be challenging this is some of
the maternal side of my birth family their are obscured not only to protect their identity but because the details
of my abandonment story remain very painful for some of them 28 years after I started my search there was still
conflicting information this is one of two half Brothers I've been privileged to meet and now have a lovely
relationship with as adults none of us really care so much about those details from so long ago maybe someday Ava and
Zoe will feel the same way Congo was then this is now but first they have to get
home really great

"48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher, who was adopted herself, follows two families in their struggle to adopt from overseas. For more, watch "Perilous Journey," Saturday, Sept. 5 at 9/8c on CBS.

Brief Summary

Betsy Emanuel and the Owen family share their emotional journeys in uncovering the truth behind adoption stories in Guatemala and Congo.

Key points

The Story of Adoption. Exploring the emotional journey of adoption and the search for truth.
Betsy's Mission. Betsy Emanuel's quest to reunite a mother and daughter separated by abduction.
Congo's Hidden Truths. The Owens family's search for the truth about two sisters from Congo.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I loved that story of course it was nowhere near the truth.

Reflecting on the adoption story told by father.

0:12WatchJan 18, 2014

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