As a child, family helps mold you into the person you will eventually become. But what if you grew up only to learn everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie?
Living a Lie
Steve Carter Jr. was adopted at the age of three. Although he eventually found out the people who raised him were not his biological parents, he still wanted to learn more about his birth family. However, he was unprepared for the disturbing truth behind his adoption.
Wanting to Adopt
U.S. Army Officer Steve Carter was stationed in Oahu, Hawaii in 1980. He lived with his wife, Pat. The two decided it was time to settle down and start a family. They were drawn to a little boy named Tenzin Amea. He was three-and-a-half years old and had been placed into foster care on the island…
They Knew They Wanted Him
Tenzin had been born on January 16, 1977. He had already been a state ward for three whole years. Steve and Pat said they knew they needed to take him home the moment they laid eyes on him.
Taking Tenzin Home
Steve and Pat signed the paperwork and filed it immediately. On September 23, 1980, Tenzin officially became their son. The couple renamed him William Steven Tenzin Carter.
Birth Parents
Steve and Pat didn’t know much about Tenzin’s birth parents. They had learned their son’s biological father was a native Hawaiian who was arrested and put in prison when he was only five months old.
Settling In
Tenzin began to go by Steve Jr. He settled right into his new life with two loving parents in Medford Lakes, a wealthy neighborhood in Southern New Jersey. Steve Jr.’s childhood was, for all intents and purposes, as normal as it could have been…
Normal Childhood
Steve Jr. participated in local sports, made tons of friends, and did well in school. Steve and Pat did their best to raise him in the healthiest environment possible. The years passed…
Growing Up
As Steve Jr. entered his adolescence, he realized he wanted to know more about where he came from. Who were his birth parents? Why didn’t they keep him? And if he was really a native islander, why was his complexion so fair?
Questionable Heritage
Even Steve Jr.’s family thought it was odd that Steve didn’t look Polynesian. “With his blonde hair, blue eyes, and light complexion, Steve does not strike one of being of Polynesian extraction,” said his father.
Unique Christmas Present
As he reached adulthood, the questions surrounding Steve Jr.’s country of origin grew more and more urgent. His parents weren’t sure what to do, so on Christmas, they gifted their son something special: a DNA test.
The Truth Behind his Features
Steve Jr. was shocked to find that he wasn’t Polynesian—he actually had Scandinavian ancestry. The information seemed to have opened up more doors than solved his burning questions.
Not the First Time
The idea of DNA testing had occurred to Steve Jr. in the past, specifically after a particularly unsettling story he had read several years prior…
Carlina White
A woman named Carlina White was kidnapped as a baby from a hospital in Harlem. She was then raised in Connecticut under the guise that her kidnapper was actually her birth mother until the age of 23. How did she learn the truth?
Coping With Reality
Carlina learned the truth about her life when she researched missing persons. Steve Jr. had been tremendously shaken by Carlina’s story. Soon, Steve Jr.’s questions about his Scandinavian heritage would take him on a journey into the unknown.
Quest for Answers
Steve Jr. started searching various databases for information on his past. He came across missingkids.com, a site run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Startling Discovery
As Steve Jr. began to comb through the records, he found something that shook him to the core…
Making Connections
A young boy named “Marx Panama Moriarty” had gone missing in 1977—the same year Steve Jr. was told he had been born. But the most uncanny thing about the report was that it included an age progression sketch of what the boy would look like now.
Mirror Mirror
Steve Jr. stared back at his own face on the computer. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “I got chills,” he said. “I was like, holy crap, that’s me.”
What Next?
Steve Jr. had no idea what to do. First, he tried contacting the authorities as soon as he could. He would need to take a DNA test to prove whether or not he was really Marx Panama Moriarty.
It’s A Match
Eight months later, the truth was revealed: the DNA tests had come back positive. Steve Jr. and “Marx” were the same people. His wife, Tracey, encouraged Steve Jr. to figure out what had really happened to him all those years ago.
Blast to the Past
Steve Jr. instantly began scouring the Internet and poring over public records at the library. He finally found some answers, starting with a man named Mark Barnes.
That Fateful Day
Mark Barnes was a journalist and Vietnam War veteran. He lived in Hau’ula on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his girlfriend and young son, Marx. On June 21, 1977, Mark Barnes was gardening outside his home when his life changed forever.
Lost Forever
That summer afternoon, Charlotte Moriarty, Mark’s girlfriend and the mother of his child, told him she was taking Marx, who was six years old at the time, on a walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Never Returned
Charlotte had a reputation for being a bit of a drifter, so when she and Marx failed to return after a few hours, Mark thought nothing of it. However, weeks passed with no sign of his girlfriend and son. Finally, Mark contacted the local authorities to report them missing…
Devastation
The police were baffled. It seemed like Charlotte and Marx had disappeared into thin air. Mark, devastated, spent over a year searching for Marx and Charlotte all over Hawaii. He couldn’t give up hope, but he had no idea whether his son was alive or dead.
The Truth
When Charlotte and Marx went on the walk that would alter the course of their lives, they weren’t just taking a neighborhood stroll. In fact, Charlotte brought Marx all the way to the opposite end of Oahu. A resident saw them loitering outside and called the police.
Fake Identity
When the police arrived, Charlotte fabricated a story: she called herself Jane Amea and told authorities her son’s name was Tenzin. She even provided them with a fake birthday for her son. Unfortunately, because Mark had waited so long to report them missing, police failed to make the connection.
Their Fate
Charlotte was taken to a psychiatric hospital. Tenzin, formerly known as “Marx”, was put into the care of the state. All this time, Mark had no idea that his son was only 30 miles away from his house, terrified and alone in an orphanage.
Disappearing Act
When Charlotte was finally discharged, she vanished immediately after checking herself out of the facility. Mark was left with no leads on the disappearance of his partner and child. However, someone else was desperate to find Marx as well…
Half-Sister
It turned out that “Steve Jr.” had a biological half-sister named Jennifer, who was eight years older than him. In 2001, she convinced Hawaiian state officials to reopen the case, which lead to the “adult” sketch of Steve Jr. commissioned by the authorities.
Reluctant to Reunite
Now, decades later, Steve Jr. was left with his life turned upside-down. He was overwhelmed by the discovery of his past. After a few months, once he had come to terms with the circumstances, he reached out to Jennifer and his biological father, who had moved to California.
Handling the News
Steve Jr.’s parents didn’t know how to take the news. “On an emotional level, I felt like we’d taken someone else’s child,” Pat admitted. However, they learned to accept the circumstances surrounding the boy they had raised and called their son for so many years.
Closure
Although Steve Jr. and his adoptive parents may never find closure from Steve Jr.’s hidden past, they finally got the answers for which they were so desperately searching.