NY NY - Steven Damman, 2, East Meadow, 31 Oct 1955

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oh_gal said:
I saw the Today segment, too. I hope it's him, and not just wishful thinking on his part. The only reason I say that is before the segment (in the "upcoming story" announcements) they said something to the effect of, "..and this guys mother told him on her deathbed that she wasn't his real mother".

When they got to that point in the actual interview, he said, "No, that's not what she said, but I think that's what she was trying to say."

I don't know much about DNA results, but they also said (in the interview) the DNA results said they "could be" related, not that they "were."

Oh, but I hope it's true!
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I do too! Wonder what his Mother said to him? Wonder if it's about his father? hmmm. Who knows I just hope this has a happy ending!
 
Hi all, I haven't been on websleuths in forever, but when this story broke I had to come here and see if there was a thread on it. I knew there would be...lol....I live in Kalkaska, where this man lives. Not sure what my feelings are on it...I definitely do see a resemblance between John and the baby pic. I can't wait to see how this all turns out.
 
PattyCake said:
I agree, I put a dual screen up and I cannot see a resemblance between John & Richard (the current father who's denying this claim). I do see a resemblance between John & Jerry (missing son's dad).

I still can't get past the preliminary private test they say they took to a private lab. That is very different from a home test imo. If there's potential match, it's hard not to believe this is the real deal. Patiently awaiting answers.
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I think the confusion here is that a "home" DNA test is NOT like a home pregnancy test where you wait three minutes for the results. The swabs are done at home, then sealed into a tube and placed in the provided envelope and sent to a private lab to be processed. I don't have any kind of stats on the accuracy of these kinds of tests, but just due to the cost factor, they are most likely the very basic type of preliminary test.
 
warbuckle said:
You are right he did say that but just because he was their when his son was born doesn't necessarly mean when he returned from duty the boy was the same boy? Am I making any sense?

Example: couple has baby, brings home baby, dad leave for deployment and is gone for 2 years oversees, dad comes home to son and doesn't realize he is a different boy.
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Great insight!
So it could be the mother that raised John Barnes that was involved/known about his abduction. - Maybe she 'bought' him as a child ?

If she was pregnant what happened to that child if he/she was replaced by John Barnes?

Family secrets can be so horrible.

I think that is why John Barnes is not telling the whole story on what his mother said on her death bed-he is protecting her.
 
Seems like if I were this guy I would have started by asking my dad to take a DNA test to see if I was really his? I mean rather than go searching the internet for 100s of missing kids, why not just get some of your sister's or dad's DNA and test it. If it wasn't a match then you go looking.

I'm I back-@ssword?
 
Does someone have access to the public records in FL. You can look it up. We know his name is John Robert Barnes, born in Pensacola, FL on August 18, 1955. Surely will all of FL sunshine laws we can find this info.
 
warbuckle said:
Does someone have access to the public records in FL. You can look it up. We know his name is John Robert Barnes, born in Pensacola, FL on August 18, 1955. Surely will all of FL sunshine laws we can find this info.
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Great idea!
You would think an Naval hospital would have kept birth records for sure!

Its not like it was the 1920s and the birth was in a cabin in the middle of no where.

(My grandmothers mom and dad homesteaded in Canada. 12 kids-8 lived-no birth certificates. Some of them later in life even found out that their birthdays were inaccurate by a few days !:)
 
warbuckle said:
Seems like if I were this guy I would have started by asking my dad to take a DNA test to see if I was really his? I mean rather than go searching the internet for 100s of missing kids, why not just get some of your sister's or dad's DNA and test it. If it wasn't a match then you go looking.

I'm I back-@ssword?
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No, warbuckle, I think you've got it right. But perhaps since Barnes says he never really "bonded" with his family that wasn't an option. If he's always felt like he didn't fit in with them I'm guessing his relationship with his father is was not very close. One article stated they haven't spoken in about a year now anyway. So my guess is once he started searching the internet and really spouting about how he thought he could be Steven, whatever fragile bonds he had with his family were pretty much severed.
 
gaia227 said:
Did anyone else think it was weird that in the interview he did with the Daily News he was only wearing a bathrobe?
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gaia227, that immediately stuck out to me, too. It's one thing to maybe answer the door in your robe and then excuse yourself to go put some clothes on when you realize it's not just the UPS guy wanting you to sign for package. But to just do a whole interview in a robe? Even if I had the flu or something, I think I'd throw on some sweatpants. Seems like the reporter found it odd, too, since the article made an point of mentioning it. (Or maybe the Daily News just likes odd little details?)
 
Mouse said:
gaia227, that immediately stuck out to me, too. It's one thing to maybe answer the door in your robe and then excuse yourself to go put some clothes on when you realize it's not just the UPS guy wanting you to sign for package. But to just do a whole interview in a robe? Even if I had the flu or something, I think I'd throw on some sweatpants. Seems like the reporter found it odd, too, since the article made an point of mentioning it. (Or maybe the Daily News just likes odd little details?)
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They likely mentioned it to explain the photo - so they didn't have a million people scratching their heads and saying to themselves, "man, is he in a bathrobe?"
 
warbuckle said:
Does someone have access to the public records in FL. You can look it up. We know his name is John Robert Barnes, born in Pensacola, FL on August 18, 1955. Surely will all of FL sunshine laws we can find this info.
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I mentioned this in the above post. I have tried to access birth records but just keep getting redirected to pay sites. Even when I go the state of Florida's vital statistics and put in the info I get redirected to Intellius.
 
While I can thoroughly understand the skepticism regarding John's theory that he could indeed be the missing Steven Damman, I tend to believe that he is, indeed, Steven.

I think that adding up the scar under his chin, the mole on the back of his right calf/knee, the obvious likenesses between the baby picture of Steven and the adult picture of John, the likeness between Jerry Damman and John/Steven, the deathbed conversation of Mrs. Barnes (although somewhat sketchy since we have no details of what exactly she said), and then the private DNA testing that was done of both John and Pamela--this all adds up to a pretty strong case for John Barnes actually being Steven Damman.

I did not take into account John's perceived feelings of "not feeling like one of the Barneses," or "not fitting in with the family," or "not looking like anyone in the Barnes family, as I think that those are rather arbitrary sentiments. Differences in looks and personalities are well-documented within even very close family members--every person is an individual with an individual personality. I also strongly discount the things that John's sister, Cheryl, has stated--mainly because she was not even born at the time of John/Steven's birth. She is at least 7 years younger and would have no personal knowledge of his birth.

My sister (now deceased) didn't look like anyone in my immediate or extended family, yet she was my full-blooded sister. There were such disparities in how she looked that as a youngster, I used to tease her that no one really knew who she was and that she was dropped off in the field across the road from where we lived and that our parents had taken her in to raise. Of course, this was all said out of sheer meanness on my part (yes, I admit I was a little rascallion back in the day), and held not one grain of truth.

That said, I am strongly leaning towards John Robert Barnes truly being Steven Craig Damman based on the things I outlined above.

I would still like to know where Marilyn Damman is (little Steven's birth mother) and if she has been made aware of these unfolding events. What are her feelings about all of this?

Has anyone here tried yet to sleuth her whereabouts?
 
cleo612 I agree with your post 100%. Its the totalilty of the circumstances which all point to him being the missing child. Of course, even if he is the missing boy that doesn't mean the parents that raised him kidnapped him? They might have thought they adopted him, or maybe it was only the mom's doing and the father never knew. This is going to be an interesting story.
 
What if the mothers were somehow in cahoots with each other? I'm probably going way out on the limb here but both military wives....who knows?
 
SleuthyMama said:
What if the mothers were somehow in cahoots with each other? I'm probably going way out on the limb here but both military wives....who knows?
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Intersting theory. But I can't see a mother giving up her son and keeping the baby. Do we know if both dad's were in the Navy? Real dad mentioned navy hospital in FL that is why I was wondering. What was going on in 1955? Sorry but I am a youngen and learned history in SC....
 
Mr. E said:
One of the articles said that the man and Pamela have had their DNA checked privately, and that the DNA said that they are probably related. Now the FBI is checking their DNA. Maybe this private DNA test is the information that makes the father think it is probably his son?

I hope it is. I always thought Steven Damman was probably dead. I never really trusted the mother's story. If he is, it is a bittersweet ending. Good that his father is still alive; sad that they've missed so much of his life.
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I'm not caught up reading this thread so forgive me if this has been brought up and addressed. What do they mean by 'probably related'? Wouldn't a private dna test between this man and Pamela indicate they share a maternal or paternal link with the alleles? There must have been some compelling evidence for the FBI to have ordered a dna test, no?

off to finish reading the thread.
 
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