DNA Test - Elizabethtown, KY

Elizabethtown, KY - DNA Testing

Local DNA Stories

Adopted at birth, Hardin County resident Sue Rocca spent decades looking for her biological family. Sue was born in Detroit and moved around throughout her life, living in Ohio until age 24, and returning to Michigan. After moving back to Michigan, she began looking for her family, but her adoptive mother wouldn't give her any information. After her mother died in 1992, her aunt informed her of her biological mother's name and that she was born and raised in Kentucky by her father, a minister. Sue had trouble accessing any documents. After moving to Florida, Sue met her husband, who had an interest in genealogy, and suggested Sue take a DNA test, but there were no matches. Eventually, she connected with Ron Basham, her half-sibling with the same mother, and she was able to learn her mother's full name. Ron was given a DNA test as a gift and was able to connect with another half-sibling. Eventually, Sue was able to send her mother a letter, and she responded by calling. The mother and daughter talked a few times before her mother died in 2020. Sue and her husband put their condo up for sale and moved to Hardin County, KY to live close to family and she has developed relationships with her sisters. As of March 2022, Sue said she wants to write a book about her experiences. "There's a reason for everything. I want people to know keep looking," she said. "You're gonna find something out about yourself."

Experts Say...

Elizabethtown law firm, Clagett Law, said, "When a child is born to unmarried parents in Kentucky, paternity must be established before the father has any rights to visitation or custody." The law firm explained that the parents can establish paternity by signing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity, a legal form stating the child's father. Once parents complete the form, the father can seek visitation and custody rights. "In the instance that the birth certificate does not list the name of the father, then paternity must be established through genetic testing," the law firm added. "If a link through DNA is established, the Court will make a judgment on paternity, and the father will have his name added to the birth certificate of their child. Normal custody, visitation rights, and other support determinations can then proceed."

Proving Paternity for Child Custody Purposes in Elizabethtown, KY

DNA testing is used to prove paternity in some cases. If parents wish to establish paternity voluntarily but are unsure of the child's father, they should not sign the form until using a DNA test. DNA testing may also be ordered by a judge if paternity is established in court. DNA tests can exclude a man as the child's father or prove paternity by more than 99%.

Last updated 1/8/2024