Two Families Sue North Dakota Hospital After DNA Test Reveals Babies Were Switched 38 Years Ago
- Kyle Bylin discovered the truth after receiving an at-home DNA test as a Christmas gift, which connected him to a biological aunt he never knew
- A lawsuit filed against Unity Medical Centre in North Dakota claims the two men were the only babies born at the hospital on the same day in 1988
- The hospital admitted the babies were switched but denied its staff were responsible, a response that left many people stunned
Source: Getty Images
A Christmas gift changed everything for two North Dakota families who spent nearly four decades unknowingly raising each other's biological sons. Kyle Bylin picked up an at-home DNA test during a gift exchange. When the results came back, they led him to a biological aunt through a genealogy platform. That connection prompted the aunt's nephew, Jeremy Morrison, to take his own test. The outcome was undeniable: the two men had grown up in each other's families.
Court documents show that Bylin and Morrison were the only two babies born at Unity Medical Centre in Grafton, North Dakota, just hours apart on 28 January 1988. The lawsuit, filed in state court and naming both men and their parents as plaintiffs, alleges the newborns were sent home with the wrong families without anyone's knowledge.
A Christmas gift that rewrote their lives
Morrison said he was certain the moment he saw a photo of Bylin's brother. The resemblance was immediate. Bylin said:
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"We could have never imagined that it was an actual birth switch that occurred."
Bylin says he still holds the hospital bracelet from 1988 that wrongly identifies him as Kyle Bylin, though he was born Jeremy Morrison. Two years have passed since the discovery. Both men have since met their biological parents. They described those reunions as welcoming but uncomfortable, and while they have spoken over the phone, they are yet to meet face to face. Bylin added:
The families are learning to hold two truths at once. Evelyn Newton, who raised Bylin as her son, told the Associated Press:
"Kyle is still my son. That is never going to change. But I feel robbed of the life I should have had with my biological son. You can't go back and replace 35 years. First steps, driving a car, getting married, how do you make up for that?"
The hospital's response divides opinion
TikTok page of @brutamerica reported that the Unity Medical Centre acknowledged the switch happened but stopped short of accepting responsibility. The hospital said its records and staffing documentation from that period no longer exist, and none of the delivery team from 1988 remain employed there.
Check out the TikTok post below:
That response drew sharp reactions online
Benites wrote:
"Um, no evidence but born on the same day at the same hospital?! THAT'S THE EVIDENCE!"
Matty Fire said:
"The hospital's statement is hilarious. 'Yeah, they were clearly switched, but maybe it happened at the playground or something.'"
MadLady added:
"So where did they switch at if it wasn't the hospital?"
Joe Johnson wrote:
"We investigated ourselves and found we were not at fault."
Missy Dailey commented:
"Them not taking accountability makes it even worse. I can't even imagine how these families feel."
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Source: Briefly News
