Woman kidnapped as child found 51 years later still in Fort Worth, reunited with family

The family of the woman who was kidnapped as a child in the 1960's announced on Sunday that she had been found alive and well in Fort Worth.

When she was 22 months old, she was kidnapped by a babysitter. She grew up in Fort Worth and didn't know she'd been kidnapped.

On August 23, 1971, Alta Apantenco left her toddler in the care of her roommate, who gave her to a babysitter.

The family never forgot about the missing person. The most recent birthday party was held in November. The family found a match in their genetic material.

23andMe is a website that can be used to find relatives and create a family tree. John Brown wrote on Facebook that the database had found a match to three of his children. He wrote that a DNA test determined that Melanie Brown is the same person as the one in the picture.

According to the release, the family worked with an amateur genealogist to find their long- lost loved one. On the weekend after Thanksgiving, she was able to see her family for the first time.

Victoria said that she couldn't stop crying. I am still walking around in a fog trying to comprehend that my sister is right in front of me.

A celebration was held at their church.

Sharon Highsmith said she was overwhelmed and incredible. We've tried to do our own family investigations. My parents have hired their own investigators. We were able to locate our lost loved one thanks to these DNA tests.

The family was connected to Lisa Jo Schiele through their own detective work. The family had a genetic test. She used public records to find her.

The hardest genealogy puzzle I have ever solved is not this one. I hope my actions give other families the confidence to follow suit. Don't give up, never.

Sharon said her family encourages other families to keep believing.

She told them to never give up hope. Don't let the lead get to you.