Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man reunited with his mother 41 years after she was told he had died during childbirth

They embraced on meeting as his mother said 'I love him so much'

Louis Dore
Tuesday 26 May 2015 16:51 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man who was 'stolen' from his mother hours after his birth 41 years ago has been reunited with his family.

Travis Tolliver, who only speaks English, wasn’t able to talk to his Chilean mother, Nelly Reyes - but the couple hugged at their meeting in the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile.

After meeting him for the first time, Ms Reyes said: “'I'm going to hug him every day.

“I love him so much.”

Ms Reyes, 61, said she was told by hospital employees when she gave birth to Mr Tolliver that he was unlikely to survive and subsequently that he had died a few hours later.

Ms Reyes said she never saw her son's body or received a death certificate, and Mr Tolliver was raised by a family in Tacoma, Washington.

Neither Mr Tolliver nor his adoptive parents knew what had happened to him. When he was 40 he began to use the internet to seek out his biological parents.

Mr Tolliver is working with authorities to establish what happened to him after his birth.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in