A man who was abandoned in Gatwick Airport toilet as a baby 33 years ago, has finally located his parents with the help of DNA experts.
The man identified as Steve Hydes was discovered in a toilet in the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at that time.
He was found by sales assistant Beryl Wright dressed in two babygrows and wrapped in a blanket in the women’s toilets at Gatwick on April 10, 1986, when he was believed to be 10 days old.
No one knew his name or where he was from so he was named Gary Gatwick – the name of the airport’s mascot. He then grew up as a foster kid before being adopted by a family with three sisters.
Over 3 decades after he was found in the toilet, Steve Hydes has finally discovered who he really is, thanks to experts who took DNA samples and have now found who his parents are. Sadly Steve’s mother died before he got a chance to meet her.
His father is still alive and he has found out that he has siblings, but they did not know he existed.
Announcing the news on Facebook, Steve said:
“After 15 years of searching I am happy to confirm that with the very hard work of Genetic Genealogists, CeCe Moore and Helen Riding we have been able to trace and confirm my birth family. Unfortunately, my birth mum has passed away so I am unable to find out exactly what happened and why.
“However I have found my birth father and siblings on both sides, who were all unaware of my existence.
“As you can imagine this is quite a sensitive issue to all involved and very new to us all, but I wanted to take this time to thank everyone for their continued support over the years. The work the Genealogists do is incredible and for years they have worked so hard and it is thanks to them they are solving cases like mine.
More people are having their DNA tested every day and I hope this and my story can help raise awareness and prevent other babies from being abandoned.
“Thank you to all those who have been involved and have helped with my search.
Steve began the search for his parents because he wanted to tell his daughters more about his family background and their heritage.
He said he never harboured any ill-feeling towards his biological parents, but was curious about his past.
