STRANGERS, UNTIL TWO YEARS AGO,
THEY WERE BOTH 55, THEY AND
THEIR FAMILIES DISCOVERED THEY
HAD BEEN SWITCHED WHEN THEY WERE
BABIES IN THE HOSPITAL.
>> I JUST LOVED HER INSTANTLY.
>> Reporter: IT WAS 1964 IN DUNK
LIN, OKLAHOMA AND JAQUELINE
JONES HAD JUST GIVEN BIRTH TO
HER SECOND CHILD.
>> JUST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BABY.
>> Reporter: AS A KID TINA LOVED
TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH.
>> HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HER
GROWING UP.
>> SHE WAS JUST ALWAYS A
BLESSIC.
ALWAYS HAPPY GO LUCKY.
>> TEEN CALL HERS CHILDHOOD JUST
NORMALINA CALL HERS CHILDHOOD JU
NORMAL
NORMAL.
>> WE HAD HORSES WITH THEM AND
HE TOOK US TO RODEOS AND PLAY
DAYS.
>> SOUNDS VERY NICE.
SOUNDS VERY OKLAHOMA.
>> YEAH IT WAS.
>> LIFE WAS PRETTY NORMAL UNTIL
2019 WHEN TINA, THEN 55 YEARS
OLD TOOK AN ANCESTRY.COM DNA
TEST AND WAS SENT A LIST OF
PEOPLE SHE WAS GENETICALLY
RELATED TO.
>> DID YOU RECOGNIZE ANY OF THE
NAME.
>> THE ONLY NAME I RECOGNIZED
WAS MY DAUGHTERS.
>> TINA WAS CONFUSED AND ASKED
HER MOTHER TO TAKE THE TEST.
>> OURS DIDN'T MATCH-UP.
>> THERE WAS NO OVERLAP?
>> NOTHING.
>> TINA'S DAUGHTER STARTED
SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR THE
SURNAMES THAT DID COME UP AND
FOUND 55 YEAR OLD JILL LOPEZ
BORN ON THE SAME DAY.
>> WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU
SAW JILL'S PHOTO.
>> I THOUGHT IT LOOKED JUST LIKE
MY MOTHER.
>> TINA REACHED OUT TO JILL AND
SHE ALSO TOOK A DNA TEST.
WITH THOSE RESULTS CAME A
LIFE-CHANGING DESTABILIZING NEW
REALITY.
JILL WAS KATHERINE'S BIOLOGICAL
DAUGHTER.
TINA WAS THE BIOLOGICAL DAUGHTER
OF JILL'S PARENTS WHO WERE NOW
DECEASED.
SOMEHOW THE GIRLS WERE SWITCHED
AT BIRTH.
>> IT IS A HARD THING TO GET
AROUND.
>> YEAH.
ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS HOW
I WAS GOING TO TELL MY MOM.
I JUST THOUGHT SHE'S NOT GOING
TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.
>> Reporter: TINA GATHERED THE
SIBLINGS SHE WAS RAISED WITH TO
TELL KATHERINE.
>> DEVASTATED ME.
TOTALLY.
DEVASTATED ME.
IT FELT LIKE SOMEBODY TOOK A
HATCHET OR SOMETHING AND HATCHED
OUT A BIG PART OF MY HEART.
SHE WAS AFRAID SHE WAS GOING TO
LOSE ME.
AND SHE WASN'T GOING TO.
I WASN'T GONNA LEAVE HERE.
>> Reporter: THEIR REALITY HAS
BROUGHT A CONFUSING SWIRL OF
EMOTIONS THEY ARE STILL
PROCESSING.
PAIN, GRIEF, REGRET, ANGER.
>> IT IS A HARD THING TO NOTE
WHAT TO DO, YOU KNOW.
>> YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO MOVE
FORWARD WHEN YOUR WHOLE WORLD IS
TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
>> TO ME THERE ARE SO MANY
PEOPLE INVOLVED.
I MEAN IT IS NOT JUST ME AND
JILL.
IT IS TWO ENTIRE FAMILIES.
>> JILL HELD A GATHERING TO
INTRODUCE TINA TO SOME OF HER
BIOLOGICAL FAMILY.
>> A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ARE THERE
THAT YOU DON'T KNOW, BUT THEY
ARE ALL RELATED TO YOU.
>> THAT MUST BE STRANGE.
>> VERY STRANGE.
>> KATHERINE IS SORRY SHE MISSED
SO MUCH OF JILL'S LIFE.
THEY ARE SPENDING TIME TOGETHER.
THEY BOTH LOVE PURPLE, SHOPPING
AND ESTATE SALES.
>> JILL SAID YOU HAVE BECOME
FRIENDS.
>> THAT IS CORRECT.
>> MAYBE NOT MOTHER DAUGHTER,
BUT FRIENDS.
>> YES.
AND THAT IS A VERY GOOD START.
>> BUT TINA WILL ALWAYS BE
KATHERINE'S LITTLE GIRL.
>> I JUST, I COULD NOT LOSE
TINA.
SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE'LL JUST
ALWAYS BE MY DAUGHTER.
I'VE LOVED HER FROM THE SECOND
THEY LAID HER IN MY ARMS.
>> ALL THREE WOMEN WANT TO HOLD
THE HOSPITAL RESPONSIBLE.
REPRESENTED BY THE SMITH BARKETT
LAW FIRM.
THEY HAVE FILED SUIT AGAINST THE
CURRENT REGIONAL HOSPITAL WHO
THEY ARGUE MERGED LONG AGO WITH
THE HOSPITAL WHERE THEY WERE
BORN.
BUT THE REGIONAL HOSPITAL SAYS
IT WAS FORMED IN THE 1970s AND
IT IS NOT THE LEGAL SUCCESSOR TO
THE HOSPITAL THAT SWITCHED TINA
AND JILL AT BIRTH.
THAT LEGAL BALLOT IS STILL
PLAYING OUT.
NO ONE REALLY KNOWS EXACTLY
HOUSE THESE TWO WERE SWITCHED AT
BIRTH.
BOTH THE DELIVERING DOCTORS AND
NURSES INVOLVED ARE ALL DECEASED
NOW.
SO IT IS HARD.
THEY MAY NEVER KNOW HOW IT
HAPPENED.
>> NOWADAYS THERE IS THE
WRISTBAND YOU BEEP.
YOU CAN'T EVEN SAY HELLO TO YOUR
CHILD OUT ALL THESE.
>> BUT A BACK IN THE 60s.
>> IT WAS DIFFERENT THEN.
>> BIOLOGY NOT ALWAYS THE
DETERMINING FACTOR WHAT YOU
CONSIDER TO BE FAMILY.