Woman, 41, Stolen as a Baby Finally Meets Her Birth Mother in Emotional Reunion

A woman who was taken from her birth family as an infant has finally reunited with her biological mother in an emotional meeting that was decades in the making.

Kaitlin Saar, 41, was born in Chile and adopted by a family in Long Island, New York. Her adoptive parents were told that her biological parents had chosen adoption to give her a better life.

What they didn’t know was that Saar had been stolen as part of a state-sanctioned scheme under Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, who oversaw a covert effort to reduce poverty by separating children from low-income families. Thousands of Chilean mothers were told their babies had died at birth when, in reality, they were taken and adopted out — many internationally.

Saar’s birth mother, Maria Paulina Gonzalez, never stopped searching for her daughter. With the help of a human rights attorney, she uncovered Saar’s Chilean birth certificate and began looking for her through social media, according to ABC 7.

Gonzalez also received support from the nonprofit Connecting Roots, which helps reunite Chilean adoptees with their biological families. With the organization’s assistance, Saar and Gonzalez took a DNA test that confirmed they were mother and daughter. The two finally met on October 8 in Smithtown, New York, where Saar now lives.

Footage shared by Fox 5 captured the tearful reunion, including the moment Gonzalez met Saar’s two children — her newfound grandchildren.

Saar later shared that she had first learned about Chile’s “stolen children” program while visiting the country as an adult, but she had avoided searching for her birth mother.
“I was afraid to know the truth,” she said. “Did she not want me? Did she want me? Did she regret giving me up for adoption? Was she even alive? I didn’t want to be upset by the information, so I didn’t look for it.”

That fear turned to joy when she finally reconnected with Gonzalez.
“I am so happy Paulina was able to find me and connect,” Saar said. “This is one thing I never thought would happen in my life. Ever. I’m thrilled to start this next chapter.”

An art teacher, Saar said she had “the best life” growing up with her adoptive parents and holds no resentment toward them, emphasizing that they were also victims of the system.
“It was not their fault,” she explained. “They gave me what we thought my biological mom wanted — a better life and opportunities. Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today.”

Tyler Graf, president and CEO of Connecting Roots, highlighted the urgency of reuniting families separated under the Pinochet regime.
“At the end of the day, we are running out of time, because these biological mothers are getting older and passing away,” he said.

Graf added that all parties involved have suffered:
“There are three victims here — the biological mother whose child was stolen, the adoptee, and the adoptive family, who believed they were giving a better life but were misled. Many now live with empathy and pain for the mothers who lost their children.”