John Stapleton and his sister Cyndy were both sold on a black market as babies. When the Hicks Babies began making national news a friend made the connection. From the 1940s to the 1960s, the Hicks Clinic in McCaysville, Georgia engaged in the illegal selling of newborn babies through Dr. Thomas Doc Hicks. In all, hundreds of babies were born and illegally sold out of Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Ga., in the early 1950s to mid 1960s, their real identities completely erased. Christopher and his sister Lillie says there is no official record of the their sister whos name was Linda. Hicks surrendered his medical license in 1964 for performing an illegal abortion. }, June 21, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated June 22, 2014 at 12:01 a.m. 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. MCCAYSVILLE, GA (WDEF-TV) The "Hicks Babies" will be back in McCaysville tomorrow. Taken at Birth airs Oct. 9 through Oct. 11 from 9-11 p.m. We now serve nearly 200 children through our Children's Program and home . Her family torn apart, Melinda found herself completely alone. TLC presents Taken At Birth, a three-night television event coming October 9th at 9/8c. }. Police Ram Alana Thompson & Dralins Car Carrying Drugs & Guns, Days Of Our Lives Steve Burton Return Date Revealed, YIKES! The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. She made a vow to find out who had actually killed her mother. element: "#evvnt-calendar-widget", 15) Tony von Carruthers: In February of 1994, Tony shot his mother, her teenage associate, and his drug dealer in the Memphis area. When he walked away, Clarence got his sample. When Blasios adoptive mother died in 1988, her father shared all he knew of the family secret and Blasio embarked on a journey to learn as much as she could about Doc Hicks. Earl Mann plead guilty to the murder of Judy Johnson and the rape, assault and attempted murder of Melindas niece, Brooke. Send your birth certificate to Georgia to McCaysville and see if youre part of that group.". "We just want to know things like medical history, you know, where did we come from? I think about it all the time, that after all these years searching, he was right next door. I was collecting DNA all up to the point I figured out it was Earl Mann, Melinda said. Baby-dealer's legacy Dr. Hicks' babies may number 200. Once the women gave birth, Dr. Hicks would allegedly tell the unsuspecting moms that he had found adoptive parents for the children. I wanted the person who did this to pay for what they did. RICHARD WAGNER "He would take them in his clinic ..provide pre-natal care..take care of them , deliver the child, put it up for adoption.". It wouldnt be until 30 years later that Melinda and Judy would realise they were part of a devastating black market plot by Dr Hicks to illegally sell newborn babies to couples in six states in America from 1951 to 1964. Required fields are marked *. TLCs Taken at Birth Is Based on the Devastating True Story of the Hicks Babies Adoption Scandal. In 1997, the shocking news story broke, revealing that . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Thats why they are back again this year. At the time, both Judy and Melinda had received strange phone calls calling for punishment after going public with the Hicks Baby controversy and Melinda was terrified she was next. [From Taken at Birth: I had DNA matches, but none had a connection to Kitty. They told her the baby was already black and blue.. The states key witness recanted her story, citing the prosecution for saying what everybody was telling her to say. Dr. Hicks told the first Hicks babys mother that the baby died. "We're in our 50s and 60s now and this is it," said Dawson. The Real Story Behind TLC's 'Taken at Birth', Carrie Underwood Shares Hilarious Fashion Fail, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. So, unfortunately, it looks like a lot of the people in the town likely turned a blind eye to what Dr. Hicks was doing because they benefited from his services. Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. element: "#evvnt-calendar-widget", Once you sit down and start meeting people individually and you start listening to everybodys story, its like a big family, adds Stapleton. The townspeople believed he encouraged pregnant women who came to him to carry their babies to term instead. "Were looking to see, by giving my DNA, if we have a sibling out there, said Truelove. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The administrator advised me to seek an attorney, investigator, and detective to help assist me as this is a serious situation and has FREQUENT his office. Dr. Hicks' karma ventually caught . This lucrative . Melinda was baffled over how police never investigated Earl Manns disappearance. I know abortion was illegal at the time, and then I think he was running into people who couldnt afford adoptions, he says. We are the most trusted source for local news. Melinda wasnt sure how she was going to get the specimens tested, or how long it would take, so her freezer became a laboratory of DNA samples. The primary evidence against Clarence Elkins was beginning to crumble. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The "Hicks Babies" are now grown and many have babies and grandbabies of their own. But still, deep down, Stapleton has a desire to learn more about his birth family. She enjoys writing about the Showtime series Shameless, CBSs Survivor, Netflix, TOWIE, and some entertainment/celebrity news. After watching Taken at Birth it sounded just like my mom. Earl Mann had gone missing from the halfway house where he was staying on June 3, 1998. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. How did you originally get into professional investigation? 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Reddit users defend man who serves lower-grade steak to his in-laws his wife has a beef with it, I married my stepdaddy and it was the best decision I ever made, Dear Abby: My coworker keeps hitting on my husband right in front of me, Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I have never been on a real date. 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Dilbeck is the oldest of the Hicks Babies at age 69, according to TLC's Taken At Birth. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. In the early 1950s, Hicks reportedly began advertising illegal abortion and adoption services on phone booths, bus stations, and bridges. Hicks was also conducting illegal abortions, sometimes involuntary, and he was selling babies to families for prices ranging from $100 to $1,000. We are the most trusted source for local news. Hicks, a family physician who performed illegal abortions in the 50s and 60s in McCaysville, Ga., also delivered babies and sold them to couples in off-the-books adoptions. Please enter valid email address to continue. Mocs Jake Stephens Returns and Throws Down a Double-Double in Win Over VMI, EPB Working to Restore Thousands of Power Outages, Mocs OL McClendon Curtis Gets a Shot to Shine at NFL Combine, Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum Closed After Piece of Concrete Falls From Ceiling. That must have been right before she went unconscious. Sally Sompayrac is Hicks granddaughter. The number of those who have reunited with a biological parent is even smaller approximately 15. Hughes was born in MacCaysville, Georgia, and was immediately handed over to a couple who had apparently bought her for $1,000 from Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, an evil and corrupt physician who had done the same to several other babies. TLC's "Taken at Birth" will explore Thomas J. Hicks. Don't have an account? John Stapleton and his biological half sister Atress Davis. Dr. Hicks was doing a service to himself, which is apparent by the lack of a safety net for the babies and the money he was charging. Lead investigator Jane Blasio is joined by Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs to find closure for those stolen babies. To date, how many Hicks Babies do you estimate youve been able to reunite with birth families? Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee 37404. She saw a face in the dark.. The six-hour special 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 door of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. Stapleton, who now lives in Long Beach, Calif., with his longtime girlfriend, was reunited with a half sister, with whom he shares a father. It makes you start to wonder what really did happen," said Payne. And the pair have formed an easy bond: We have matching DNA tree tattoos on our backs, Stapleton says of his sister Atress Davis. . But that night an intruder entered Judys home in Barberton, Ohio and brutally raped and strangled her while she slept on the couch. Your email address will not be published. My Ancestry tree had several first cousin matches that pointed me in the right direction, but Tommy was the firstborn on my fathers side and our DNA matched.]. Young children were kidnapped and then sold to wealthy families, abused, orin some instances . Taken at Birth: The Hicks Clinic Stolen Babies, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/hicks-clinic-stolen-babies. She travels to McCaysville and enlists TLCs Long Lost Family hosts Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner to help investigate. From 1951 to 1965 Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks began to quietly offer babies for adoption from his Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, GA. Somebody killed my grandma. The Hicks Babies. MCCAYSVILLE, GA (WDEF-TV) - The "Hicks Babies" will be back in McCaysville tomorrow. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. I had never heard Earl Manns name before, I didnt know Tonia had a [de facto] husband but I knew right at that moment that it was him, Melinda said. 21 Shows to Watch If You Like Yellowstone, 'WoF' Fans Say This Is the Biggest Choke on Show, St. Patricks Day Trivia Questions and Answers, Adam Sandler's Wife Jackie Shuts Down Red Carpet, The Reason Hoda Kotb Hasnt Been on the Today Show, Kelsea Ballerini Fans Lose It Amid Career News. Twelve in total. Hicks' beliefs did not fully mesh with abortions, and he would . According to Blasio, only about 50 of the 200-plus children, referred to as Hicks Babies, have been identified and located so far. She took Jacks fathers last name, Hollinsworth, so that people would think she was a widow, instead of having had a child out of wedlock. In his writing, Alexander covers a wide range of topics, from cutting-edge medical research and technology to environmental science and space exploration. I worked for a local firm doing mostly workers comp fraud cases and basic research. Margaret was very controlled emotionally, until she began talking about her father. 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. I knew early on that to find my information, I would have to find out who Hicks was. } Richard Wagner, a city councilman and retired engineer, lives right across the street. He had done prison time for selling drugs in Tennessee and lost his. orientation: "portrait", He asked what I had done with my search and after we discussed it, he told me I was on the right path and to start honing my investigation skills by working for a licensed PI [private investigator]. And that's where the beloved town doctor sold over 200 black-market babies for $1,000 each between 1950 and somewhere in the mid-60s. Thomas Hicks, who sold babies illegally from his clinic in the 1950s and 1960s, as the Hicks Babies begin to reunite to search for answers. One mums horror story has revealed the extent of Australias housing crisis, forced to fork out hundreds for a rat and mould infested property. Dawson is one of about 200 so-called "Hicks babies," who were sold in the '50s and '60s from Dr. Thomas Hicks' clinic. In 1922, Tann adopted a daughter, June. One corrupt doctor saw the perfect commercial opportunity - to deliver babies and sell them illegally for large sums of money. submission: { Seeking family links 'Hicks babies' hope DNA will uncover histories 2014-06-22 - By Joan McClane Staff Writer . She has served for more than nineteen years in federal law enforcement. Like other adoptees, all he's uncovered is a birth certificate he believes Dr. Hicks falsified. Dr. Hicks was adored by the towns folks as he would often treat the impoverished for free and helped the local miners and their mine related ailments. 1 season available (3 episodes) In 1997 a shocking story surfaced. The story of Dr. At least 49 of the babies were sold to parents in the Akron, Ohio area. Here at Tv Shows Ace, weve seen this shocking docuseries. A three-part documentary, Taken at Birth, follows the story of Dr. Thomas Hicks who illegally arranged black market adoptions for nearly 200 babies, known as Hicks Babies, in the 50s and 60s. Judy and her husband had looked into adoption through official channels but you could be rejected if you were divorced, or if you werent a home owner.