Al-Quds newspaper

Chile witnessed one of the most poignant human reunion stories in recent times, as a young Chilean-American man met his biological mother for the first time since he was kidnapped as an infant some 36 years ago. This case highlights the tragedy of thousands of children who were forcibly separated from their families during the rule of General Augusto Pinochet.

Kyle Adler, who grew up in the United States after being adopted by an American family, discovered late in life that his adoption was not legal. It turned out that the incident was part of the activity of an illegal adoption network that operated in Chile during the period of military rule extending between 1973 and 1990.

Adler expressed his strong feelings at the moment he discovered the truth, stressing that knowing his true identity and his original people gave him an indescribable sense of belonging. The young man explained that he now felt cared for and loved, as if he had a family again after many years of questions about his mysterious origins.

Adler’s journey began in the suburbs of Chicago, where he was adopted by an American family when he was nine months old, and he lived a stable and comfortable life. The young man confirmed that his adoptive parents, Mike and Connie Adler, were not aware of the circumstances of his kidnapping, but rather raised him with great love and care for decades.

As he reached adulthood, questions of identity began to haunt Kyle, prompting him to turn his personal curiosity into a serious search for his roots. He said that although he knew in advance that he was an adopted child, an urgent need prompted him at a certain moment to know his full story and search for his real mother.

The roots of the tragedy go back to the coastal city of Coronel in southern Chile, where Ana Maria Navarrete gave birth to her child, Marcos Antonio (now Kyle), when she was 19 years old. Due to her harsh living conditions, the young mother was forced to leave her child with a nanny while she worked at night in a fish store.

The biggest shock occurred when the mother returned to find her child had disappeared, as the nanny told her that an American couple had taken the baby, arranged by a local priest. Navarrete recalled those moments bitterly, noting that she did not realize at the time that she might not see her child again in her entire life.

Later, investigations revealed that the child was the victim of a complex fake adoption network, which included intermediaries, government officials, and workers in the health and judicial sectors. These networks usually target poor and marginalized families to extract their children and sell them to families abroad under the guise of legal adoption.

Chilean authorities estimate that more than 20,000 children were taken from their families during Pinochet’s rule, particularly from indigenous communities. Human rights organizations confirm that justice is still absent for many of these families who lost their children in mysterious and similar circumstances.

The Nos Boscamos organization, which specializes in family reunification, played a pivotal role in uncovering the truth, and Adler turned to it in 2017. The organization used DNA tests and electronic databases to track down leads that might lead to his biological family in Chile.

DNA tests via the MyHeritage platform confirmed a perfect match between Adler and Navarrete, putting an end to years of doubt. Adler described this discovery as giving him inner psychological peace after a long journey of treatment and attempts to understand the lost self and identity.

Last February, Adler packed his bags and traveled from Miami to Chile for the upcoming meeting, where his mother was waiting for him at the arrival airport. In a scene that made those present cry, Navarrete ran to her son and hugged him tightly, expressing her joy at realizing her dream of knowing that her son was still alive.

The son and his mother spent a whole week exploring the past, visiting the beach where he was born and the hospital where he made his first cry. Adler also met siblings he never knew existed, and viewed his original birth documents that had been stolen from him decades earlier.

Despite the overwhelming joy, human rights demands continue to hold those involved in these historical crimes that destroyed thousands of families accountable. Navarrete hopes that justice will be achieved not only for her, but also for her son, who was deprived of her care for 36 years due to the greed of human trafficking networks.