American stolen as baby finally finds real family again in Chile in story of hope

A man has spent most of his life unaware that he was stolen as an infant from Chile.

Scott Lieberman, an American residing in San Francisco, now 42, said he wants to raise awareness of people in similar circumstances.

Reflecting on his journey, Lieberman stated, "I lived 42 years of my life without knowing that I was stolen, not knowing what was happening down in Chile during the 70s and 80s, and I just, I want people to know… There are families out there that can still be reunited.", he told CNN.

The startling revelation of stolen babies emerged during General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship (1973-1990) in Chile, where adoption agencies became conduits for these illicit practices.

Scott Lieberman, an American who lives in San Francisco, always knew that he was adopted from Chile. (CNN)

According to a CNN 'investigation, the illegal adoptions involved a network comprising priests, nuns, doctors, nurses, and others, primarily driven by profit.

Some infants came from affluent families, while others were forcibly taken from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as appears to be the case with Lieberman.

Chilean authorities estimate that the number of stolen babies could reach into the thousands, yet the progress of the country's investigation into these controversial adoptions has been hindered over the years.

Many babies were funneled to adoption agencies. (CNN)

Many individuals involved in the illegal activities have passed away, and several clinics and hospitals allegedly implicated in the scheme no longer exist.

When Lieberman found out about the scandal a few months ago, he began to wonder if the same thing had happened to him.

In late 1979, in the town of Cañete, Chile, Scott Lieberman's journey began. His birth mother, Rosa Ester Mardones, was a 23-year-old unmarried woman facing financial difficulties.

Seeking assistance, Mardones was approached by Catholic nuns who offered her a job in the capital city of Santiago as a domestic worker for a doctor's household.

Scott Lieberman, an American who lives in San Francisco, always knew that he was adopted from Chile. What he did not know was that he had been stolen as an infant. (CNN)

During Mardones' pregnancy, a social worker exhibited an unusually strong interest in her case, as revealed by Lieberman's older half-sister, Jenny Escalona Mardones. E

Escalona explained that the social worker had Mardones sign multiple documents throughout her pregnancy.

On August 21, 1980, at Santiago's Clinica Providencia, Lieberman was born.

However, his mother had only a brief glimpse of him before the social worker swiftly took custody and whisked him away from the hospital, even before Mardones had been discharged.

When Mardones attempted to inquire about her baby, she was met with a chilling threat. Escalona recounted the heart-wrenching words her mother heard: "Don’t come here looking for the baby anymore; because, if you do, I will call the police, and they will arrest you… Your son is now in the Netherlands or Sweden. He’s in a different country."

An American couple had adopted him, completing all the necessary legal procedures to bring him to the United States. There, Lieberman would grow up under his adopted name.

Lieberman's realization that he may have been stolen occurred late last year when he stumbled upon an article about illegal adoptions in Chile.

Sadly, his mother had passed away (CNN)

Motivated to uncover the truth, he enlisted the help of the Chilean nonprofit organization "Nos Buscamos," which aims to reunite stolen children with their biological families.

Through DNA tests facilitated by MyHeritage, Lieberman discovered a half-sister.

On April 11, Lieberman traveled to Chile to reunite with his biological family. Sadly, his mother had passed away from bone cancer in 2015 at the age of 58, unaware that her son had been adopted by an American family and would eventually return to his native country.

Lieberman and his sister (CNN)

Instead, Lieberman met his half-sister at Concepción Airport. Despite the language barrier—she didn't speak English and his Spanish was basic—their connection transcended words. Within weeks, they embraced each other as if they had known each other their entire lives, bringing tears to the eyes of everyone present.

“Never, ever, did my mother talk about the fact that she had had a child and that he had been stolen. It was the painful truth that she kept to herself for many years. I even think that her pain took her away,” Escalona said