What began as a routine DNA test to uncover health-related issues turned into a life-altering nightmare for a woman—and the gut-wrenching realization that she had unknowingly dated her own biological brother.
40-year-old Victoria Hill turned to biotechnology company 23andMe in 2020, hoping to pinpoint genetic clues behind what she described as “persistent health issues.”
The test provided her with not only medical insights but also information about the fact that she had many half-siblings.
At first, the New England resident dismissed the DNA matches as a glitch in the system. However, one persistent woman—who turned out to be her half-sister—began contacting her with strange questions.
Together, they uncovered the disturbing truth—their births were the result of a fertility fraud carried out by a well-known doctor.
Woman born through fertility fraud breaks silence, recounting how she discovered she had 23 half-siblings
“She asked me, ‘Did your mother go to Yale Fertility Treatment Clinic for help with fertility?’” Victoria shared during a March 2025 appearance on ITV1’s This Morning. “When she said that, she got my attention.”
Their investigation revealed that they were two of a set of at least 24 children conceived after retired Yale endocrinologist Dr. Burton Caldwell used his own sperm for artificial insemination procedures without the mothers’ knowledge or consent.
Her own father—the man who raised her—had no idea about Caldwell’s deception. Her mother, who had seen Caldwell for nearly a decade, had trusted him completely.
During the interview, Victoria shared a heartbreaking anecdote.
“We used to joke in my family that I was the mailman’s kid,” she recounted.
“But looking back, it all kind of clicked. I never really looked like my dad, and I always felt a little different.”
Seeking answers, Victoria confronted Caldwell at his home, but his response only deepened the disgust she was feeling.
“He showed no remorse,” she recalled. “He just said he was ‘in the business of making babies.’”
Victoria and her mother filed one of two lawsuits against the former doctor, prompting an investigation
Victoria and her mother, Maralee Hill, sued Caldwell, alleging he used his own sperm to inseminate Hill in 1983. Victoria testified before the Connecticut General Assembly in March 2024 in support of a bill to criminalize such practices. The bill ultimately failed to pass.
“I view this as a form of sexual assault,” she said at the time.
Victoria’s testimony included the chilling revelation that she had once dated and was intimate with a man she later discovered to be her half-brother—a biological child of Caldwell’s.
“I very much could have seen myself marrying this man and having children,” she said. “When I confronted Dr. Caldwell, he readily admitted to donating for many years and showed no remorse.”
Victoria’s lawsuit joined a similar one filed by East Haven residents Doreen Pierson and her daughter, who was born in 1987.
According to the complaint, Pierson was referred to Caldwell in the mid-1980s when she struggled to conceive. She agreed to be artificially inseminated under the impression the donor was anonymous.
Caldwell, who was a member of the Yale School of Medicine faculty and served on the medical staff at Yale-New Haven Hospital, died on February 28, according to a court notice filed by his attorney, Patrick Sweeney.
Caldwell passed away on February 2025, but attorneys said the litigation remains active
Attorneys representing both lawsuits started collecting information and testimonies to prosecute Caldwell, including identifying the other 22 children who were conceived through the Doctor’s sperm.
“Our clients woke up one day and realized their immediate family grew exponentially overnight,” said attorney Rosalie D. Louis. “These kids are walking down the street wondering, ‘Hey, I may be related to you.’”
State Judge Robin Wilson also ordered Yale New Haven Health to produce documents related to Caldwell’s time there.
However, before Caldwell could face legal consequences for his actions, his attorney, Patrick Sweeney, confirmed his passing via a court notice. Caldwell died of unspecified causes on February 28.
In response, attorney Matthew Blumenthal, who represents Victoria and other plaintiffs, confirmed the litigation remains active despite the former doctor’s death.
The US federal government doesn’t have a law that explicitly criminalizes fertility fraud. Out of the nation’s 50 states, only 14 have enacted legislation establishing the practice as a criminal offense.
“Dark.” Netizens sympathized with Victoria, and lamented the former doctor’ passing before facing justice
