I watched the jury look at Clarence, and I knew it wasnt good. According to ABC News, he also reportedly lied to some of his patients, telling them their baby had died and then selling the newborn from the back steps of his clinic. 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. What happened in the dark has come to light and there are some unhappy people. That was odd to me.. Once a DNA registry was set up, the first round of DNA in 1997 brought eight direct connections, and over the years that compounded as family members united and began acquainting themselves. What Drives Some People to Kidnap Children? Id even send him envelopes so he would send me a letter back, the envelope type that you had to lick it on the back and seal it, just to get his saliva. 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]. She is one of about 200 people known as "Hicks Babies," named for Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, a beloved, small-town physician who trafficked in black market babies from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s until he was arrested for performing illegal abortions and lost his medical license. June 12, 2021 News, TLC Shows Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is the "bad guy" featured in a three-part docuseries titled Taken At Birth. Dr. Hicks died a disgrace. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Once the women gave birth, Dr. Hicks would allegedly tell the unsuspecting moms that he had found adoptive parents for the children. As DNA technology and the ease of testing grew, the numbers grewin the hundreds. I found what I wanted to find and that has put some closure on that for me, but I will never stop thinking about everyone else who came out of the Hicks Clinic, said Blasio during a 2021 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Streaming on Roku. Dawson says in 1962,. In the early 1950s, Hicks reportedly began advertising illegal abortion and adoption services on phone booths, bus stations, and bridges. 21 and scared, from Chattanooga. Millions of Americans were raised by adoptive parents. But he never wrote me back.. I dont think I processed it for a long time, I went into survival mode.. On January 1, 1996, records of adoptions or attempted adoptions that existed pre-March 16, 1951, and all records of the Tennessee Childrens Home Society were opened to adopted persons, their birth and adoptive relatives. - Melinda is a cancer survivor, law reform advocate, public speaker and Chair of the Board for Ohioans to Stop Executions. RICHARD WAGNER, MCCAYSVILLE "I remember Doc Hicks from when I was a kid. Investigator Jane Blasio works alongside Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs to uncover the truth about these black market adoption rings. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The $1,000 in 1964 he charged the average couple is the equivalent to approximately $30,000 to $45,000 today. Looking back, it was best because it further framed the dynamics of Doc Hicks and the clinic. A DNA test led Raymann to his biological father, Paul Jack. The animal lover even shared an image of the creature, which she initially called a bobtail cat, on Facebook in an attempt to find it a loving home. After submitting his DNA to Ancestry.com last year, he has found key family members though not all of them were keen on a warm, fuzzy reunion. submission: { In a gobsmacking move, the court agreed, and decided there was no grounds for a retrial. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Did Dr Hicks father any of the Hicks babies? Generally speaking, babies are a pain in the neck. Beulah George "Georgia" Tann (July 18, 1891 - September 15, 1950), was an American child trafficker who operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee.Tann used the unlicensed home as a front for her black market baby adoption scheme from the 1920s. As part of his practice, Hicks performed abortions, which were illegal at the time. Is Daisy Jones & The Six Based on a True Story? No records are recorded in the county or the state. I visited Clarence and told him, this is the guy, Im telling you. Hed say, I know that youre innocent and try to shake his hand and be a buddy to him. Meanwhile, struggling single-mom Regina Vasquez has been raising their biological daughter Daphne in a working-class neighborhood. How did you originally get into professional investigation? But in untangling the complicated web surrounding Hicks, the show opens a small towns vault of secrets, leading to bittersweet reunions and DNA bombshells. TLC He also secretly placed infants with out-of-state parents in off-the-books adoptions. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. Melinda was baffled over how police never investigated Earl Manns disappearance. I was collecting DNA all up to the point I figured out it was Earl Mann, Melinda said. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". He knows he lucked out by landing with his loving parents, the late Jean and Robert Stapleton. Clarence was sceptical, but Melinda insisted and convinced Clarence to steal one of his cigarette butts. The number of those who have reunited with a biological parent is even smaller - approximately 15. Melinda knew that the only way to prove Clarence innocent was to find a DNA sample that matched the crime scene. publisher_id: "7057", It was known that he would perform them anyway. I knew early on that to find my information, I would have to find out who Hicks was. Six of those births - more than 10 percent - were Hicks babies sold out of state. Unfortunately, the three-part docuseries does come to an end after this information is revealed. She [Brooke] said it was dark and shed just seen the back of his head along with one time when he [the killer] went to punch her. Are there any unresolved feelings or unanswered questions youre still working to unravel? That must have been right before she went unconscious. The primary evidence against Clarence Elkins was beginning to crumble. 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.". That's why Dawson organized DNA testing this year, using more precise analysis she believes can lead to family matches. In Stapletons case, his biological roots are just starting to poke through the surface. }); Word spread that his clinic would take . widget: true, The black market adoptions were discovered in 1997 and a community of Hicks babies has been in contact since that time. How many Hicks babies have found their biological family? After a decades-long personal investigation to discover the shocking truth about her birth, Blasio also began to identify and reunite other victims of the Hicks Clinic human trafficking scheme. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, died in 1972 but he left behind a legacy that has divided many residents in the town of McCaysville. Dr. Thomas Hicks died of leukemia, a type of blood cancer. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The story of Dr. At least 49 of the babies were sold to parents in the Akron, Ohio area. Clarence had a solid alibi (he was never alone that night), there was no physical evidence and she just couldnt believe, after almost two decades of marriage, that he could be responsible for such a devastating act. When the Hicks Babies began making national news a friend made the connection. TLC The Story Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Lisa Wingates BEFORE WE WERE YOURS is historical fiction based on a real-life scandal. The shocking truth broke in 1997 after several Hicks Babies began to uncover the dark secret of their origin stories. 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. We are your neighbors. The shocking truth broke in 1997 after several Hicks Babies began to uncover the dark secret of their backstories. number: 3, All rights reserved. Jane was sold for $1,000 as a newborn in January of 1965 by Dr. Hicks. Hicks, who owns a dog and a cat, set up a nice space for the rescue pet in her garage, complete with a litter box, cat food, water and a "cozy" box that included a soft sweater. Taken At Birth follows Jane Blasio, the youngest of the known Hicks Babies, who helped break the story and has since dedicated her life to finding out the truth. For a minute I may have flopped into a ball, but I had two sons. How many babies were fathered by Dr Hicks? Estimated reading time: 5 minutes From 1951 to 1965 Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks began to quietly offer babies for adoption from his Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, GA. We were a family again. Where can I watch the documentary taken at birth? I was writing him fictitious letters as a pen pal. No sign in required. Quietly, because the clinic he'd been running since the mid-1940s was not a licensed adoption agency. I didnt expect the confessional moments. She was actually from another clinic located in Chattanooga. She was born here, in what was the Hicks Clinic. TLCs 2019 special consists of three episodes. Honestly, I am grateful for the life I have had. But, he does learn who is biological mother is. Eventually, in 1964, he was caught performing an abortion and was summarily stripped of his medical license. Hicks cared for the mundane health issues of local farmers and townspeople in the front of the clinic . Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee 37404. Unfortunately, the docuseries came to an end before it could even be concluded whether Stephens twin brother survived the birth and was sold to someone the same way he was. On the heels of a TLC series Taken at Birth, that began airing in 2019, Blasio, 56, has released a memoir of the same name that shares the story of her journey to uncover her past and the questionable practices of a small town doctor in North Georgia. Earl Mann plead guilty to the murder of Judy Johnson and the rape, assault and attempted murder of Melindas niece, Brooke. The statistics surrounding the Tennessee Childrens Home Society (TCHS) are staggering: it operated in Memphis for more than 25 years, from 1924 to 1950; about 5,000 children passed through its doors; an estimated 500 children died while in its care. 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. No reference was made of the real mother.. They were adopted through the Georgia clinic that created a national furor back in. Police Ram Alana Thompson & Dralins Car Carrying Drugs & Guns, Days Of Our Lives Steve Burton Return Date Revealed, YIKES! Its question like those that has the Truelove family taking action. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. About a year later, the couple bought a baby girl from Hicks. TLCs "Taken at Birth" will explore Thomas J. Hicks. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. TLCs Taken at Birth Is Based on the Devastating True Story of the Hicks Babies Adoption Scandal. The patrolmen wrote down what he said and sent a memo to the detectives while Clarence was in jail, but he had not had his trial yet. 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. Shortly before they moved to Memphis, Atwood was pregnant with a child she named George, whom she would call Jack. It was discovered that Dr. Thomas J. Hicks had been selling newborns from the small-town facility's backdoor for $1000. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. He's been searching for his biological family for decades. The Hicks babies were babies sold by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks to different families. More to the point, he also facilitated over 200 illegal adoptions. However, it was eventually revealed that the health professional would sell the babies for $800 to $1,000 and provide the "parents" with a forged birth certificate. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. 1 season available (3 episodes) In 1997 a shocking story surfaced. Somebody killed my grandma. The Truelove family hopes there is a DNA match through this testing process.But if it doesnt work, they may dig up the grave of their baby sister looking for any biological match. Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. After she was killed, I called them and they did a little tribute to her at the end, Melinda told news.com.au. The instructions were simple: Once they received a call, they were to get to Georgia within 12-hours. Richard Wagner, a city councilman and retired engineer, lives right across the street. The day after Clarence got the sample, Earl Mann attacked another inmate with a lock inside of a sock. One of the Hicks Babies, Melinda Dawson, told CBS that her adoptive parents paid $1,000 for her in 1962. Lead investigator Jane Blasio is joined by Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs to find closure for those stolen babies. Today, these babies are referred to as Hicks babies. To date, no one knows the exact number of babies he stole and sold on the black market. HOW MANY EPISODES ARE IN TLCS TAKEN AT BIRTH? Truelove said this is what happened to his mother. Warner's mother voluntarily put her up for adoption. "This is actually happening. Dawson says in 1962, her adoptive parents paid $1,000 for her. . Updated: November 4, 2011. Summary. Back then, it wasnt easy for couples to meet the legal obligations necessary for adoption. But eventually, those children want to know more about birth parents. For nearly three decades, Hicks sold as many as 200 babies to local and out-of-state couples who didnt have the time or money for legal adoptions, for prices ranging from $100 to thousands of dollars. When you see news happening, share it! 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. ", First published on October 12, 2014 / 8:16 PM. Lying for him. He died in 1972 at age 83, having never been held accountable for these black market babies. It does not store any personal data. text: "Promote your event", 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. John Stapleton, 55, knew since he was a kid that he was adopted. partner_name: "WDEF", In the small town of McCaysville, Ga., Dr. widget: true, 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. The Real Story Behind TLC's 'Taken at Birth', Carrie Underwood Shares Hilarious Fashion Fail, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. At the same time, hundreds of childless couples desperate to adopt were rejected as unsuitable. Did Joan Crawford adopt from Georgia Tann? If you have already watched it or plan on tuning it You might have some questions about Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, the Hicks babies, or if there is a 2021 update on the case. She was my babysitter so I went there after school and I stayed the night a lot, Brooke later explained. Just hateful. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Melinda joined forces with the Ohio Innocence Project and after a public campaign, on December 15, 2005, armed with new evidence and DNA testing, the Summit County Prosecutors Office announced they were dropping the charges against Clarence and calling for his immediate release from prison. 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. . She also happens to be the youngest known Hicks baby. [Jane] has been fighting for me and for all of us for years, says Stapleton, who retired from the Army a few years ago. He was in denial, says Stapleton. }); He performed abortions, which were strictly illegal at the time and led to the loss of his medical license. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. I worked for a local firm doing mostly workers comp fraud cases and basic research. You need to solve physics problems. This story has been shared 106,292 times. Thomas Hicks, a Georgia doctor, had illegally sold more than 200 babies from the back door of his clinic. They werent officially married so I didnt know about him. Linda Kasabian, who took part in the two days of mayhem in 1969 that left seven people dead, ended up flipping on the cult leader. orientation: "portrait", After she was killed, "I called them and they did a little tribute to her at the end," Melinda told news.com.au. The news captivated many outside McCaysville. 7 talking about this. I think, at first, it was under the table, and then he had seen there was money involved. There, on the front page, was the neighbour whom Brooke had run to all those years ago. There is evidence Dr Hicks told birth parents that their baby had died and were instead selling them on to desperate couples. The story is the stuff of nightmares. She was forced to flirt with men at strip clubs and pull out strands of hair directly from their head without them knowing. submission: { 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. Brooke later told police the attacker looked and sounded like her Uncle Clarence. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. 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. Bye.. AMCs Sentai Filmworks Snags A Major Anime Deal, Pokmon Detective Pikachu Sequel Finally Gets Its Director. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [On my fathers side], my newly found cousin Donna was a DNA match, and she quickly directed me to her cousin Tommy because she had a hunch I was his sister Tommys DNA confirmed that I was Herbert Claud Cruces daughter. Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. Mobile App|Weather App | WDEF Email Sign Up. more. Melinda would later find out that in January 1999, Earl Mann was arrested on a traffic violation in Barbeton, the same town Judy was murdered. What have you been able to learn about your ancestry through DNA testing? Hicks was also conducting illegal abortions, sometimes involuntary, and he was selling babies to families for prices ranging from $100 to $1,000. By all accounts, Earl, already a convicted rapist, was in that house when Brooke went for help. Your email address will not be published. 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.. 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.]. In 1960, there were 50 babies born in all of Fannin County. "Were looking to see, by giving my DNA, if we have a sibling out there, said Truelove. After watching Taken at Birth it sounded just like my mom. He also shares personal stories and insights from his own journey as a scientist and researcher. I totally understand what it means not to know who you are. He died in 1972 and it took three decades before Hicks' actions were brought to light. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. He wont be eligible for parole until hes 92. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. RHONJ What Is Melissa Gorgas 2023 Net Worth? But Dr. Hicks had a not-so-secret dark secret. My husband didnt know his father. He wouldnt have anything to do with him. They only have the notes their mother kept in her Bible. Country Living editors select each product featured. Hicks'. Mobile App|Weather App | WDEF Email Sign Up. That surprised me. 423-785-1200 | news@wdef.com3300 Broad Street, Chattanooga TN 37408. October 12, 2014 / 8:16 PM Dr. Biram C. Hicks is a Infectious Disease Specialist in Chattanooga, TN. Nothing to bring our two gene pools together My birth mother never showed up to meet me as I had hoped she would, but I discovered an understanding and a love for her. Many people from McCaysville have said that Dr. Hicks was doing a public service by putting so many babies into the arms of parents who wanted a child. How do you feel about that, particularly in light of Kitty Selfs situation in January of 1965? Please help assist me. "He put the adoptive parents down on the birth certificate as the natural parents and that pretty much sealed our fate as far as trying to find the roots," said Payne. Sadly, Melinda and Clarence divorced after his 2005 exoneration. It turned into a business. And in most cases,it seems, it made little difference as to happiness or quality of life for the child. Without a birth certificate in hand, parents were terrified to take this tiny baby to the hospital. 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. He had done prison time for selling drugs in Tennessee and lost his. 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. John Stapleton and his biological half sister Atress Davis. And, he meets his sister. The number of those who have reunited with a biological parent is even smaller approximately 15. However Mom never got to see the baby. He died in 1972 at age 83, which was 25 years before the shocking story of his black market baby ring came to light. He was born October 18, 1888. There was an older gentleman that he robbed and beat with a pole stick, which Im pretty sure thats what was used against my mum.. Wittenberg is a nationally ranked liberal arts institution with a particular strength in the sciences. log in. Taken at Birth. Starring: Jane BlasioLisa JoynerChris Jacobs. The story broke in 1997, revealing that Hicks was alleged to have spearheaded a black market baby ring out of his clinic. If there were any, what happened to the records? When women actually came to him to have babies, he would often say the baby was stillborn. Its now a pizza restaurant. We've received your submission. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Your email address will not be published. But sometimes, when women came to him for an abortion, he instead coaxed them to carry their babies to term then took the infants off their hands and sold them for anywhere between $100 and $1,000. DIANE WARNER, A HICKS BABY "She called me the next morning and said youre not going to believe this story about the Hicks babies where youre adopted from..it just broke. THE NIGHT JUDY WAS MURDERED What was the most surprising or revealing thing she said to you? evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ People had so much faith and confidence in their doctors they never questioned things.". 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. But decades later, many of the Hicks Babies are still looking for their birth parents. This was so hard on them, to have lost their grandmother, and their dad.. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Taken at Birth: The Hicks Clinic Stolen Babies, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/hicks-clinic-stolen-babies. It turns out, Diane was a Hicks Babyone of many who were adopted by parents in Ohio,Illinois and other northern states. September 8, 1994. 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. We had a little reunion, my niece was now 10 years old. In the mid-1940s, Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks opened the Hicks Community Clinic in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia, mere steps from the Tennessee state line. In 1997, the shocking news story broke, revealing that Hicks was alleged to have . From 1924 to 1950, Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society stole and sold an estimated 5,000 children. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Within a decade, he was not only performing illegal abortions but selling newborns on the black market. The mind-blowing story is the subject of a new three-part TLC series (premiering Oct. 9), Taken at Birth, which attempts to crack open the mystery of the doctors scheme and reunite some of the Hicks babies with their birth families. June 23, 2014 CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF-TV) About 30 people showed up this weekend to give cheek-swab DNA samples. She saw a face in the dark.. My mother was told they were stillborn and manipulated into donating their bodies to science for their cause of death SIDS. So, they took them home and hoped for the best. The first, titled Arturo Xuncax, is set in an Indian village in Guatemala. Christopher and his sister Lillie says there is no official record of the their sister whos name was Linda. I was so afraid that they were coming to get me and my sons, they have my husband in jail and Im left like a sitting duck. More than 60 years later, our goal has not changed. They believed I was sticking up for Clarence.