HERE'S
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER CHARLOTTE HUFFMAN.
CHARLOTTE HUFFMAN. >> Reporter: MOST PEOPLE THINK
DNA TEST RESULTS ARE CORRECT.
FOR 12-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW CLEMSON,
A DNA TEST SHOWED HIS FATHER
WASN'T HIS.
WASN'T HIS. >> IT BROKE MY HEAR+@T.
I LOST MY DAD AND MY BEST
FRIEND.
FRIEND.
FRIEND. >> LET'S REWIND THROUGH
MATTHEW'S CHILDHOOD BACK TO THE
MID-90s.
MID-90s.
MID-90s. THAT IS MATTHEW THERE ON HIS
DAD ROBERT'S SHOULDERS.
HERE HE IS ON HIS DAD'S LAP AND
THIS IS THE FATHER'S DAYS CARD
HE GAVE HIS FATHER THAT YEAR.
THE TWO WERE CLOSE BUT THAT ALL
CHANGED IN 2001 WHEN THEY TOOK @
A DNA TEST.
IT WAS ORDERED BY TARRANT
COUNTY JUDGE AS PART OF
MATTHEWS PARENTS CUSTODY BATTLE.
TO THE FAMILIES SURPRISE, THE
DNA TEST RESULTS SHOWED THERE
WAS A 0% CHANCE THAT ROBERT WAS
ACTUALLY MATTHEW'S FATHER.
SHATTERING THAT CLOSE FATHER-
SO+@N RELATIONSHIP.
SO+@N RELATIONSHIP. >> HE WAS SO CONFUSED.
HE WAS 12 YEARS OLD.
>> Reporter: THAT IS MATTHEW'S
MOM AND SHE SPENT YEARS UNABLE
TO ANSWER DUSTIN'S FOR MATTHEW
ABOUT HIS FATHER.
>> I BLAMED MYSELF FOR SO MANY
YEARS O+@VER THE THIS.
>> Reporter: BUT THEN JUST LAST
YEAR --
YEAR --
YEAR -- +@
YEAR -- >> MY GRANDDAUGHTER DID AND
ANCESTRY TEST BECAUSE SHE
WANTED TO KNOW IF SHE WAS
SCOTTISH.
SCOTTISH.
SCOTTISH. +@>> ODDLY ENOUGH, THE RESULTS
FROM TERESA'S GRANDDAUGHTERS AT
HOME DNA KIT REVEALED A GENETIC
LINK BETWEEN THE GRANDDAUGHTER
AND ROBE+@RT+@, THE SAME MAN TH
DNA TEST PRIOR YEARS SAID WAS
NOT A FAMILY MEMBER.
>> I REMEMBER SITTING THERE AT
+@THE COMPUTER JUST LOOKING AT
FOREVER AND FOR THE LONGEST
TIME I WAS LIKE, HOW COULD THIS
BE?
BE?
BE? COULD
BE? COULD THIS EVEN BE RIGHT?
A SECOND PATERNITY TEST FROM A
DIFFERENT LAB CONFIRMED WITH A
99.9% CERTAINTY THAT ROBERT WAS
INDEED MATTHEW'S FATHER ALL
ALONG.
ALONG.
ALONG. BUT BY THEN YEARS HAVE PASSED
AN+@D THE DAMAGE WAS DONE.
>> I WISH I COULD'VE GOT TO
GROW UP WITH -- BUT I DIDN'T.
THEY TOOK THAT FROM ME.
>> MATTHEW AND HIS PARENTS ARE
+@
+@ SUING
+@ SUING THE TWO COMPANIES INVOLVED
THE DID THE ORIGINAL DNA TEST.
DNA TESTING CENTER AND
LOUISVILLE-BASED BIOSYNTHESIS.
LOUISVILLE-BASED BIOSYNTHESIS. IN COURT FILINGS, THE FAMILY
+@ALLEGES THE TWO COMPANIES THA
TOOK THEIR DNA+@ SAMPLES AND
ANALYZE THEM WERE NEGLIGENT IN
LABELING AND HANDLING AND +@
TESTING AND REPORTING TEST
RESULTS.
RESULTS.
RESULTS. >> FOR 20 YEARS MY SON GREW UP
NOT KNOWING WHO HIS FATHER WAS.
FOR 20 YEARS MY SON GREW UP
ANGRY. AT SOME POINT THEY NEED
TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT
THEY HAVE DONE
>> BOTH COMPANIES DECLINED OUR
REQUEST FOR AN INTE+@RVIEW BUT
COURT FILINGS THE ATTORNEY
REPRESENTING BIOSYNTHESIS SAID
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT
BIOSYNTHESIS WAS NEGLIGENT.
A DNA EXPERT A+@FFIDAVIT FOUND
INSIDE THE COURT FILE +@AND
OBTAINED BY WFAA SHOWS THE
GENETIC PROFILES FROM THE 2001
AND 2019 PATERNITY TESTS ARE
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. DNA EXPERTS SAY THIS SUGGESTS
T+@HE FAMIL+@IES SAMPLES COULD'
BEEN MIXED UP WITH ANOTHER
UNSUSPECTING FAMILIES.
UNSUSPECTING FAMILIES. BUT WITHOUT HELP FROM THE LABS
INVOLVED, WE WILL +@LIKELY NEVE
KNOW +@WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE THE
LAB.
LAB.
LAB. OUR
LAB. OUR INVESTIGATION+@ FOUND THE
GETTING ANY INFORMATION LIKE
INSPECTION REPORTS ON LABS THEY
CONDUCT DNA TESTING IS NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE. UNLIKE STATE CRIME
LABS THAT DO FOR TESTING FOR
CRIMINAL CASES, LABS THAT DO
DNA TESTING ARE NOT INSPECTED
BY THE GOVERNMENT.
THEY ARE INSPECTED BY PRIVATE
ACCREDITED ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH
MEANS THEY ARE ALLOWED TO KEEP
THEIR INSPECTION REPORTS
PRIVATE.
PRIVATE.
PRIVATE. +@
PRIVATE. A 2006 REPORT FROM THE
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
FOUND THAT OVERSIGHT OF THE
U.S. LABS WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO
+@
+@ ENSURE
+@ ENSURE LAB QUALITY.
BOTTOM LINE, THE +@DOCTORS AND
PATIENTS WHO USE DNA LABS HAVE
NO W+@AY OF KNOWING WHEN MISTAK
ARE MADE, BUT MISTAKES DO
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. >> ANYONE THAT DOES LABORATORY
SCIENCE LIKE I DO KNOWS YOU
SCREW UP.
SCREW UP.
SCREW UP. EVERYONE SCREWS UP FROM TIME TO
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> UC IRVINE PROFESSOR DR.
LAWRENCE MUELLER HAS BEEN
TRACKING LAB ERRORS AND DNA
CASES FOR YEARS.
HE SAYS THERE IS NO WAY TO
QUANTIFY JUST HOW MANY ERRORS
HAPPEN EACH YEA+@R, BUT THE
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF
CLINICAL CHEMISTRY ESTIMATES 13
BILLION LAB TESTS ARE PERFORMED
EACH YEAR IN THE U.S., SO EVEN
A CONSERVATIVE ERROR +@RATE OF+
JUST .005% AMOUNTS TO 650,000
BOTCHED TESTS EACH YEAR.
>> I THINK THEY ARE MUCH MORE
COMMON THAN PEOPLE THINK.
USUALLY IT IS A FAILURE OF THE
HUMANS INVOLVED IN THIS
TECHNOLOGY.
TECHNOLOGY. THEY DO THINGS LIKE MISLABEL
SAMPLES OR SWITCH SAMPLES.
>> THE IDEA THAT HER FAMILIES
+@SAMPLES COULD'VE BEEN SWITCHE
WITH ANOTHER FAMILIES IS WHAT
KEEPS TERESA UP AT NIGHT.
>> IT BREAKS MY HEART TO THINK
THAT AND I HOPE THAT IS NOT
TRUE.
TRUE.
TRUE. I
TRUE. I KNOW WHAT WE WENT THROUGH AS
A