FBI: Michigan Man Isn't Toddler Who Vanished in 1955
DNA tests conducted by the FBI ended the bizarre drama today of a 54-year-old Michigan man who believed he was really Steven Damman, a toddler who was stolen in 1955 and never heard from again.
A Michigan man believes he was kidnapped as a toddler in 1955.The FBI was called into the case when John Barnes of Kalkaska, Mich., approached police in East Meadow, N.Y., to say he suspected he was the missing boy.
Initially tests comparing blood samples between Barnes and Damman's sister Pamela Horne did not rule him out as a possible relative of the Damman family, so the FBI conducted a more sophisticated DNA test. The results of the tests ruled Barnes out as a member of the Damman family, the FBI announced today.
"DNA samples analyzed by the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va., show John Barnes and Pamela Damman Horne do not share the same mother," the FBI said. "All interested parties have been notified of the DNA test results."
Barnes' suspicions about his origins began in March, but became the subject of nationwide speculation as word leaked out about his efforts to prove who his parents really are. Barnes even rejected his father's insistence that it was all "foolishness."
Steven's father, Jerry Damman, told the Associated Press, "It's too bad we had to go through all of this for actually nothing in the end."
Earlier this week, Jerry Damman hadn't made up his mind about whether Barnes is his son and said today that he was disappointed by the DNA tests.
"Yes, this was a big let down," he told ABCNews.com. "You do have hope that this would work out, but I'm kind of glad this is all over."