A routine DNA test has led to a discovery that has uncovered a decades-old family mystery stretching back more than 40 years.
Two women born just minutes apart in the same Buenos Aires hospital have discovered four decades later that they were switched at birth, following a DNA test that exposed a profound error dating back to 1986.
The revelation centres on Paula and Gabriela, who were both born on March 22, 1986, just 13 minutes apart at the Italian Hospital in Buenos Aires. One was later raised in Miami, where she built a life as a lawyer and started a family, while the other grew up in the Morón district on the outskirts of the Argentine capital.
The case only came to light in 2024, when Paula began investigating her origins after a routine ancestry DNA test revealed inconsistencies with her presumed biological family.
It began as a standard genetic ancestry check intended to map her family heritage. Instead, the results showed no biological link to the parents who had raised her. Concerned by the outcome, she repeated the test, only to receive the same result again. A subsequent DNA test confirmed she was not biologically related to her family.
Disturbed by the findings, she confronted her parents, who were unable to provide any explanation. The family then sought legal assistance, launching an investigation in Argentina with lawyer Ignacio Leguizamón Peña leading the case in the civil court of Buenos Aires.
Investigators first requested hospital records for March 22, 1986, from the Italian Hospital. Initially, officials reported no births that day, explaining that deliveries prior to a shift change were logged under the previous date. Records for March 21 showed eight births, including two newborns delivered only minutes apart.
The seventh and eighth babies born that day were separated by just 13 minutes and weighed only around 100 grams apart. Both were delivered by the same midwife, according to hospital documentation reviewed during the investigation.
The lawyer later told Infobae he had a “gut feeling” that the eighth baby born that day needed to be traced, prompting the next stage of the inquiry.
Using birth certificates, investigators identified Gabriela and her adoptive family, eventually locating her in the western suburbs of Buenos Aires in Morón. Contact was made and the two family histories were compared.
When the lawyer visited Gabriela’s home, he was met by her mother—who, unbeknownst to her at the time, was Paula’s biological mother. Although initially hesitant, she agreed to DNA testing after being shown a photograph of Paula.
Before results were returned, Gabriela independently confirmed she had already undergone genetic testing with her adoptive parents, which had also ruled out biological ties.
When the US-based DNA results arrived, they confirmed a match between Paula and Gabriela’s respective biological families, effectively proving that the babies had been switched at birth.
Following confirmation, the lawyer acted as an intermediary, arranging a meeting between both families in a shopping centre in Buenos Aires. It was the first time Paula and Gabriela had met their biological parents.
Describing the emotional impact, the lawyer emphasised: “After forty years, being confronted with a new reality profoundly changes the entire family structure,” adding that Gabriela, who learned the truth later in the process, “cried inconsolably.”
Both women are now adults with their own families,and the discovery has affected not only them but also their children and wider relatives.
The families have since filed a legal complaint seeking to determine how the switch occurred, including allegations relating to the suppression of identity.
The case has been escalated to the Comodoro Py federal courts and is now under the oversight of prosecutor Carlos Stornelli. Authorities are also investigating potential criminal responsibility, including possible identity-related offences.
A raid has already been carried out at the Italian Hospital, where investigators seized archival material, including staff lists from 1986. Officials are now examining whether members of the neonatology team on duty at the time may have been involved.
Prominent lawyer Fernando Burlando has also joined the legal team, describing the case as one involving “very complex” circumstances and significant harm, with efforts now focused on identifying those responsible for the error or alleged negligence.
