The documentary originally aired in 2019 on TLC, but has since migrated to Hulu. Dr. Lol. In an interview with Inside Edition, she said: A lot of the mothers didnt know that they even had a baby because the doctor lied and had said that the babies had died., To this day, a cloud of secrecy remains around Dr. Hicks himself and the notorious adoption ring that changed the course of hundreds of lives.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Children%27s_Home_Society. It turns out that Bernie Drexler did. But there were a few stories of him declaring babies as stillborn.. then sold them off. It's unfortunate, but it happens. It was Mother's Day of 1997 when Reymann saw a story in the Akron Beacon Journal featuring the story of Jane Blasio who had discovered she had been illegally sold as an infant for $1,000 from a clinic run by Dr. Thomas Hicks in McCaysville, Ga. some three decades earlier. Like many of those who gathered here Saturday, Dawson is one of about 200 co-called Hicks babies, infants given up by their birth mothers and sold in the 1950s and 1960s from Dr. Thomas Hicks clinic in McCaysville, a sleepy Georgia town, just across the state border. She still remembers the day her adoptive mother, Judith, broke the news. Now he discovers it was a lie and his son was part of a black market baby ring. Hicks' beliefs did not fully mesh with abortions, and he would . "They were instructed to come downcome through the front door, pick the baby up and leave through the back door and, and go home immediately," Dawson explained. Hicks had told him to bring cash, and when he got down there, they handed the baby out the back and he gave them the cash.. Hicks was forced to give up his medical license in 1964 after being charged with performing illegal abortions, and he died in 1972 at the age of 83. Copyright 2023 Who are You Made Of? Hicks' granddaughter defended the doctor to CBS News. His clinic, the Hicks Clinic, was in operation between about 1945-1965. If I discover where I come from and who I look like, that would be the topping on the cake, Dawson said. They call themselves the Hicks Babies. Occupation: Dentist Spouse: Sallie Cobb Johnson Adopted children: Thomas J. III and Sallie Cobb Hicks Son of Chassie Copeland and Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks Sr. who performed illegal late term abortions, sold infants on the black market and is the subject of the TLC documentary Taken At Birth.. You need to ask yourself questions and then do problems to answer those questions. In the town, people said it was better than seeing young girls butchered in filthy, back-room abortions. "This is our last shot. The want to know who they are. I don't know what it was like to be in her shoes. The Georgia clinic from which he sold over 200 infants to adoptive parents was in operation between 1945 and 1965. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. No reference was made of the real mother. Thats my priority.. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. And then the babies, all grown, started talking. It could take up to three months to test all the participants samples, but whats 90 days compared to the lifetime these baby boomers have been waiting to find their birth families? That memory stuck with Dawson. But in Georgia, there are still hundreds of people looking for answers. "I think he was a good man. I mean, what was the alternative for those babies? MITs Alan , In 2020, as a response to the disruption caused by COVID-19, the College Board modified the AP exams so they were shorter, administered online, covered less material, and had a different format than previous tests. At least 49 of the babies were sold to parents in the Akron, Ohio area. Raymann couldnt be more appreciative that he and Jack were brought together. There are stories that even suggest that some mothers were told that their babies did not survive at birth. While many Hicks babies have been reunited with their birth parents or siblings over the years, Dawson waits, hoping this new ancestry DNA testing will help. Hood, who owns a restaurant. Melinda, 53, is the de facto leader of the Hicks Babies. Even if the tests turn up just one match, said organizer Melinda Elkins Dawson, of Akron, Ohio, their efforts will have been worth it. baby Dr Thomas Hicks told Thelma her baby had died. Source: YouTube Screenshot What's additionally staggering is it's believed that more than 200 infants, known as the "Hicks Babies," were victims of the doctor's scheme during the '50s and '60s. A hero? Over the next six years, they remained in frequent contact, but when her sister divorced, that was the end of it. HICKS, J. DNA is a help, but is limited by the fact that because word of Hicks' services had spread widely at the time, pregnant women and especially adoptive parents often came from considerable distances. Most of the 200 known Hicks Babies are still searching for their family of origin. One woman, Pam Helton Stepp, a 49-year-old hairdresser from Ringgold, said she wanted to show her support because her sister had been given up as a Hicks baby. They came from Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee to have their cheeks swabbed, hoping their DNA might help them find their birth families and the missing link to their medical histories. Born in 1963, inside a non-descript cinder block building in McCaysville, Georgia, she was delivered by the town's only doctor, Thomas Hicks. Some may find them alive, some may not be alive, but at least theyll know where they came from, she said. "We're in our 50s and 60s now and this is it," said Dawson. Diane Warner, 53, from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Autosomal DNA tests, such as Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, My Heritage, and Family Tree DNA, offer extensive DNA match lists. There is no evidence that any of the babies that were adopted through the actions of Dr. Hicks are related to him. This type of adoption is just one way that many babies are adopted through illegal, black market adoptions. . (210) 2019 13+. A father of three who was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, Hicks died at age 83 in 1972, long before Blasio's digging led to the first headlines about the scandal in 1997. Provided her birth parents are still around, shes hoping Saturdays test will help her connect with them. , Does Wittenberg have a strong Pre-Health professions program? Hed do anything for anybody---sometimes hed pay a price for it, she said. It is not uncommon for traffickers to beat, rape, or torture their victims. He gave up his medical license to help women out. Matthew Scully-Hicks made a 999 call two months before Elsie died claiming she fell down stairs. Warner's mother voluntarily put her up for adoption. About 15 of the 200+ babies have been reunited with their biological parents. Some traffickers also use drugs and alcohol to control them. The investigation special is helping Raymann and others reunite with the loved ones they never knew existed. Apparently, Dr. Hicks had prepared her falsified birth certificate. Nobody knows anything for certain. Police: Stetson Bennett hid behind brick wall prior to arrest, Long before season, Georgia Tech president found football performance worrisome, Police: UGA football staffer drunk, racing at 104 mph before fatal crash, UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, Kemp, Rivian double down on $5B Georgia factory despite challenges, Georgia Power customers bills could jump again soon. Diane Warner smiles as she meets many of her family members for the first time Saturday in Tunnel Hill. These babies were later sold to adoptive families. Payne tracked the woman down at a nursing home in Florida. He told women their babies had died when they hadn't. He sold those babies for a profit. Dawson said Saturdays testing isnt a one-time event. i was told i was born in raymond wa. However, it wasnt until years later that he learned the dark secret they had been keeping. Thanks to the shows Hulu debut, the series is generating buzz, so a second season isnt out of the question. Dr. Hicks nursed him back to health. Think he may have figured it was more hassle than just enjoying his life. He handed an infant through the door. Where they came from. Which led Judy and Melinda to Maury in April 1998. They named her Jane, wrapped her in a blanket and drove due north for eight hours, far away from the South, to a place where the winter winds pick up speed on Lake Erie and make people curse the cold. Adoptive parents must jump through many complicated hoops to be approved, yet any low life, abusive, drunk, dishonest, thieving, jobless meth head, or even killer, can get pregnant, (or sire a baby). Dawson is one of about 200 so-called "Hicks babies," who were sold in the '50s and '60s from Dr. Thomas Hicks' clinic. If they did not come to pick up the baby in a 24-hour time frame, the child would . Season 1. He kidnapped and trafficked children. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. was born in 2019. Dr Hicks sold over 200 babies from his clinic in McCaysville during the 50s and 60s Credit: YouTube. From 1951 to 1965 Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks began to quietly offer babies for adoption from his Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, GA. YouTube Screenshot. The women met once at Conrads home, comparing noses and foreheads. By learning about the family trees of their 2nd-3rd cousins, they can identify groups of DNA matches who are related to each other through the same common ancestor. The newborn was taken from her mother's body and . I tried calling, but she didnt return calls. Born and raised in the city of London, Alexander Johnson studied biology and chemistry in college and went on to earn a PhD in biochemistry. There is no evidence that any of the babies that were adopted through the actions of Dr. Hicks are related to him. If she wants to come forward, there are no strings, no blame. Have you heard the story of Dr. Hicks? Dawson, 55, is a bit of a detective. But they still know relatively little about their histories. Indeed no one knows for sure whether Hicks, generally beloved by the townspeople of McCaysville, sold the babies for profit or simply recouped the cost of caring for the mothers. Terms of use | Hicks and his nurse told lots of stories, so who knows if thats true, Dawson said, as if still half-believing all these years later. The townspeople agreed. No strings.''. His parents were David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Holt. Dr. Thomas Hicks ran a medical clinic in the hardscrabble north Georgia town of McCaysville from 1955 until 1964. Sorry, this movie is currently not available on any streaming platforms. Today, these babies are referred to as "Hicks babies." Data bases are often mined from private companies such as ancestry.com. Despite the fact that Hicks, his wife, and his son have all passed away, his daughter is still living. He had second thoughts about disrupting her life. The adolescent protagonists of the sequence, Enrique and Rosa, are Arturos son and , The payout that goes with the Nobel Prize is worth $1.2 million, and its often split two or three ways. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 1 He told some of the biological mothers that they had undergone an abortion. Originally from Tennessee, Thomas Hicks was educated at Tusculum College (now Tusculum University) and Carson-Newman College, both in Tennessee, and Emory University Medical School near Atlanta, Georgia. But the sinister doctor always lied to make a profit. Today, those men and women are talking again. An expert in illegal adoption, she helped unravel the mystery of the Hicks Clinic, breaking the story in 1997. ''I thought my mother must have been like Katharine Hepburn. ''Over all, he done more good than otherwise.''. The black market adoptions were discovered in 1997 and a community of Hicks babies has been in contact since that time. Mirror Works: If you can stand the heat, get INTO the kitchen1. Mrs. Blasio, a former insurance claims investigator who knows how to follow a trail, has come here five times, drawn by the slim chance she might connect with someone across a lane of Georgia asphalt, or in the I.G.A. More to the point, he also facilitated over 200 illegal adoptions. grocery, where the parking lot is partly in McCaysville, partly in Copperhill, Tenn. She does not know if her mother held her, or even saw her face. He performed abortions, which were strictly illegal at the time and led to the loss of his medical license. A teacher, a former newspaper editor and a hairdresser were among the first to arrive. But it was only one of the doctor's sidelines. Over three nights this October, TLC's TAKEN AT BIRTH will share the untold stories of the "Hicks Babies," the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. For webmasters |. When her adoptive mother, Judith Johnson, was murdered in Barberton in 1998, and Dawsons husband at the time, Clarence Elkins, was arrested, she spent about seven years investigating the case and eventually winning Elkins release from prison. Seven mothers have come forward, quietly, and about 50 bought-and-sold ''Hicks babies.'' (This is not part of the TLC documentary) As part of the 2014 DNA tests, Kriste Hughes was reconnected with her birth mother Thelma Tipton. Itll be an on-going thing.. ''I will never say anything bad about her. If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, please join in the discussion below. All the fathers who bought them worked in the Akron tire companies, except for a Cuyahoga Falls doctor who bought two babies. Another issue is that Hicks, who died in 1972, either destroyed his records of the adoptions or never kept any at all. When Mrs. Blasio's adoptive parents, James and Joan Walters, went to McCaysville to buy their first baby in 1961, Dr. Hicks told Mrs. Walters to put on a hospital gown and lie down in a bed in his clinic. He also shares personal stories and insights from his own journey as a scientist and researcher. She is tall and redheaded, the product of an ancestry she does not fully know. It is unclear how far along she was, but Hicks convinced her to carry the pregnancy until he induced her. Hicks mausoleum in search of birth records. Feedback | - one of the Hicks babies was found to have been born in another place by another doctor so now they are on the search for another illegal baby . Dawson began searching in earnest in the late 90s until a family tragedy stalled her efforts. His secretary, nurse and lawyer are all dead, as is the police chief who investigated the doctor and ultimately charged him, not with selling babies, but with running an abortion clinic. Paul Payne was adopted in 1952. There have been no positive matches between parents and babies so far, but Judge Davis and Mrs. Blasio believe it is only a matter of time as more possibilities join the pool. Then, he handed her a baby girl. There are many people who were adopted at birth who can use similar strategies to learn more about their recent and distant ancestry. Wow he sounds like a hero rather than a villain. He also forged birth certificates, putting the adoptive parents as the biological parents. Her birth certificate was falsified, listing her adoptive parents . The demand was so high, that Dr. Hicks didn't allow his clients to be choosy, and they had to be quick as well. The black market adoptions were discovered in 1997 and a community of Hicks babies has been in contact since that time. Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, the man behind the Hicks Babies, ran a small clinic in the tiny town of McCaysville, Georgia. We really needed to step up our efforts, she said. There is no evidence that any of the babies that were adopted through the actions of Dr. Hicks are related to him. "It was a brick wall. The DNA testing is ongoing and Dawson said she believes an answer is coming soon. Ric Flair, the famous wrestler, was one of these children. He was married and had three children. At least one prominent young woman died in that way. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The trails all seemed cold until Judge Davis, a tiny woman who once threw a man in jail for missing an appointment, searched the county's birth records and grew puzzled at the number of women who had come from as far as Ohio and Arizona to have their babies at the clinic of a country doctor. Categories Searching for Biological Family. Reply Quote Report. 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. His adoptive parents, who died before the registry was set up, told him that `God had opened the door' when they received a phone call from the Georgia clinic promising them a baby boy. In this post, learn who the Hicks Babies are, how they got their name, and how some of them are using DNA to discover their biological origins. This time there was no play-acting. Taken At Birth will share the untold stories of the "Hicks Babies," the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. The Hicks Babies share an urgency to find their roots and uncover the truth about Dr. Hicks' clinic before the clock runs out. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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