DNA testing has become the
most reliable method of resolving cases of paternity and solving crimes. The
public relies on DNA as a nearly foolproof method of solving tough to crack
cases and ensuring that justice is done. In cases where DNA is used to prove
paternity or solve a crime, it is considered irrefutable evidence. In cases
where DNA evidence is disputed, at most, a second test will be done, just to be
sure. Unfortunately, for Lydia Fairchild, these dependable DNA tests revealed that she was not
the mother of her own children, the same children that she remembered
conceiving, carrying and ultimately birthing. What had gone wrong?
In 2002 Lydia Fairchild was
pregnant with her third child when she split up with her boyfriend, who was
also the father of her children. She was out of work and needed to support her
children, so she applied for state benefits in Washington. The state required
that she and the father of her children take DNA tests to prove the parentage
of the children that required benefits. When the results came back, they were
shocking. Her ex-boyfriend was indeed the father of the children, but the tests
said that Lydia was not the mother.
Lydia was questioned by the
Department of Social Services, who suspected her of welfare fraud, among other
things. The government subsequently denied Fairchild’s application for benefits
and a trial ensued. Lydia was confused and scared of losing her children, but
she didn’t know how to dispute a DNA test. She told her mother what was
happening and her mother was just as shocked as Lydia. She had been in the room
when both of her grandchildren were born.
She couldn’t understand how Lydia could possibly not be the mother.
Lydia had used the same doctor
for all of her pregnancies and births and he told her that he would testify for
her in court. However, the state had another suspicion. They believed that
Lydia may have been acting as a surrogate mother. Another suspicion was that
the children belonged to one of her siblings, as the DNA tests had come back
looking like Fairchild may have been the aunt of her two children. It was
ordered that a court representative be present at the birth of Lydia’s third
child, to witness the birth and an immediate DNA test on the child and the
mother.
Lydia Fairchild gave birth to
her child, it was witnessed and the appropriate testing was conducted. This
time the results were unbelievable; Lydia was not the mother of this child
either. Suspicions that Lydia was involved in an elaborate attempt to get
benefits from the state grew. However, the discovery of another, similar case
brought to light another possibility. Maybe Lydia was a chimera.
A chimera, or a person with
chimerism, is an odd sort of twin. A chimera happens when two fertilized eggs
fuse in the womb. If the fusion does not happen, the result would be fraternal
twins, but when it does happen, you get a twin that is not visibly a twin at
all. Most chimeras have no idea and will never have any idea that they were and
technically are a twin. Visibly, there is no difference, although, a chimera
may have two different colored eyes. The real signs are in the DNA.
A chimera will have two distinct
sets of DNA that will show up in different tissues throughout their body. The
difference can also appear in their bloodstream; however, this is very easily
missed, unless it is being looked for specifically. DNA tests on tissues from
different parts of the body on a chimera can look like they are DNA tests from
two completely different people. The separate DNA may also be of both genders.
Lydia Fairchild was eventually tested for this and the results came back
positive. In a way, her twin was the mother of her children, at least, in a
genetic sense. The case against her was subsequently dismissed.
Sources
ABC News, She’s Her Own Twin,
retrieved 9/3/09, abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Story?id=2315693&page=1
Wolinsky, Howard, A mythical
beast. Increased attention highlights the hidden wonders of chimeras, retrieved
9/3/09, pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fegi?artid=1808039
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