A woman who was adopted at just two weeks old finally found her birth mum using a DNA site and Facebook after decades of searching. It meant she could be reunited with her grandmother just days before the 91-year-old passed away.
Rachel Ruiz, 35, always knew she was adopted, and was given information about her birth mum - including a handwritten letter - on her 18th birthday. But it contained limited information, and after unsuccessful online searches and attempts to unseal her records, she was no closer to finding her other family.
She eventually turned to ancestory.com and while her messages to relatives went unanswered, it led her to her grandfather's obituary. Rachel tracked down her birth mum, Angie Howard, 52, on Facebook.
She knew instantly it was a match due to their similar appearance. And on Christmas Day she got a reply to a Facebook message from a delighted Angie.
The pair were reunited - coincidently wearing similar outfits - just in time for Rachel to meet her grandmother, Angie's mum, Mary, 91, just three days before she died. Now Rachel has met her extended family - including a half sister who lived a few minutes walk from her home.
Photographer Rachel said: "It's like a missing piece. My parents are so amazing and I didn't feel like I needed to find answers to complete myself but I'm so happy I found my birth family."
Rachel was adopted at two weeks old by dad Brent, 65, and mum Marianne, 60. She said they have always been "super open" about the adoption.
She said: "When I turned 18 and my parents had some things to give that my birth mum asked them to give me on my 18th birthday. They gave this beautiful crocheted blanket she made me, she had a baby ring when she was born - a beautiful gold ring - and a written letter which said 'you were with me for nine months. I will never forget you, I hope one day we will meet'."
Rachel received adoption papers, and while sections were blanked out, she discovered she was born with the surname Deveraux. She searched on Facebook but couldn't find family members, and later turned to ancestory.com in 2014, where she had a few DNA matches.
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She messaged a Richard Deveraux but she didn't receive a response. No closer to finding family, Rachel went before a judge in 2017 but was unsuccessful in attempts to get her records unsealed.
In 2022, Rachel, who lives in Utah in the USA, studied her adoption papers again, with husband Felix, 33, and spotted something she hadn't noticed. She said: "It said my grandfather was a professor at.....and there was a blank.
"I was born in Louisiana so I thought it said LSU but my husband said it looked like a bigger acronym. I could just about make out what it said underneath and it read UVCC - standing for Utah Valley Community College.
"I immediately got chills. I Googled Richard Deveraux UVCC and his obituary came up."
It included six children - including three daughters who she found on Facebook. She reached out to Angie because her age matched and realised they looked alike.
She said: "She didn't open my message for a long time - I think it got lost in her message requests because we weren't friends. I woke up on Christmas day and she had replied. I immediately started bawling.
"I sent her a picture of the letter she wrote me and she replied 'I can't believe it's you, you've found me, what a miracle'. I printed out the conversation and showed my parents. We were all so emotional."
Rachel, who grew up with her adopted brother Daniel, 31, found out all of her relatives lived around the corner in Lehi, except for Angie who had moved to Phoenix, Arizona. She had a half-brother, DJ, who died aged six, from brain cancer, and a half-sister Treasure, 30.
Angie had given her daughter up for adoption as she was only 17 and wanted her to have a better life. The mother and daughter chatted every day and met up a month later, on January 26 2023.
She said: "I could see her drive up and my heart was beating out my chest. She got to the front step and she took her coat off and threw her purse on the ground.
"She gave me the biggest hug and said I can't believe it's you. It was like looking in the mirror. She was like an older version of me - except for the fact I'm really tall.
"She even dresses similar to me - she was wearing wide leg jeans, Converse and a crop top tee. My husband's jaw was on the floor. He said it was like watching two clones."
Rachel and Angie chatted for hours and then headed over to meet her grandma Mary, who died three days later. She said: "It was like it was her final life mission. I went to the funeral and I met my cousins, aunts and uncles."
Rachel and her husband adopted their son Enzo, two, and are expecting a child through surrogacy in June 2023. She also has a step-daughter, Ifael, nine.
She said: "I found out I couldn't have children when I was 14 and I knew I would have to adopt or do it another way." Now Rachel feels blessed to have two families and said she has found her "missing piece".
