Oxfordshire man reunited with brother after 27 years after DNA test

Rhys Williams, 27, was nine-years-old when his mother died and he discovered the man raising him was not his biological dad.

After being told by his cousins, Mr Williams continued to be raised by his stepdad, and tried to find out more about his long-lost family at age 18 but had no luck.

Mr Williams used a DNA test for fun in January 2022 and uploaded his results to MyHeritage.com but found out his birth dad had sadly passed away six years prior.

But the results also allowed him to discover he had a long-lost brother – Chris Jones, 53, from Oxfordshire.

A DNA test in January 2022 confirmed that Mr Williams’ stepdad wasn’t his biological father, he uploaded the results onto MyHeritage.com to learn more about the family he had never known.

He later connected with his auntie who connected Mr Williams with his long-lost brother Mr Jones, just six days later.

The pair met virtually over Zoom and their relationship has blossomed ever since.

After connecting and speaking on Zoom, Mr Jones drove two and half hours to surprise his brother Mr Williams in May.

Mr Jones, a global logistics buyer, from Longcot said: “I had always known I was adopted.

“I grew up as an only child. I had very nice adopted parents and a good upbringing.

“But it would have been nice to do all this around 20 years ago.

“It is nice. It is lovely how it has all happened now. I have never had a younger brother. It is a different experience.

“We get on really well. We went out for dinner after we met and had a lovely meal.”

Mr Williams thought that his brother had arranged for a videographer to arrive at his home to interview him about his story.

But to his surprise, Mr Jones turned up in his living room.

Mr Jones said: “I drove up there and had to send the cameraman a secret message to tell him I was there.

“I sent him a text saying ‘I am delivering your camera batteries’ and then he came to the door and I went in the house to surprise Rhys.

“It was a lovely moment.”

Mr Wiliams, a university lecturer, from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, said: “It was a very different experience for me.

“I had no idea, Chris was going to surprise me but now I look back there were so many clues.

“I went from finding out ‘here is your biological dad’ to find out he has passed away and realising that nobody else will look like me.

“For me it was crazy to then meet Chris who is my blood and is older. I know I will have a very good hairline in 20 or so years.

“This is someone who is flesh and blood – who looks like me.

“It feels like another piece of the puzzle is filled in. The puzzle started as big question mark but it is getting filled in now.

“It feels like this is the time it was meant to be and now it has happened.”