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The siblings who reconnected online
Whatever happened to . . .
By Lane DeGregory, Times Staff Writer
Published November 25, 2007
THE STORY: The police came to Jake's sixth birthday party and took away his dad. "Drugs or burglary of something," Jake's little sister said years later. Texas state workers took custody of Jake and his big brother, Josh, who was 9, and their little sister Christina, 3. Jake and Josh were adopted by one family, Christina by another. For 12 years, they lost track of each other.
Last summer, Jake was packing for college when he found an old photo album. The first picture was of him in kindergarten, with his dad, his big brother and his little sister. She would be 16 now. He was pretty sure she'd have a MySpace page. So Jake clicked on his computer and typed "Christina," plus the last name of her last foster family he remembered, "Lynch."
FROM THE STORY: When Christina Lynch opened her MySpace page that Sunday, she found an e-mail from someone named Jake. She didn't know who Jake was. But he seemed to know a lot about her.
FROM JAKE, Aug. 13, 2006, 12:40 p.m.
out of curiosity, are your adoptive parents named mary-ann and don? i know that is a weird question and this is kinda weird i will explain it when i get a response . . .
FROM CHRISTINA, Aug. 13, 2006, 2:17 p.m.
mmm yea, who are you??
FROM JAKE, Aug. 13, 2006, 2:32 p.m.
i am pretty sure that i know u. do u know if you have any brothers or sisters. i might know them.
FROM CHRISTINA, Aug. 13, 2006, 2:33 p.m.
are u my brother? i have a brother named jacob and he should be 19 this is kinda weird
THE REST OF THE STORY: They had been separated in Texas, but both adoptive families moved to Florida. The siblings found out they lived a half-hour apart: Jake and Josh in Sarasota, Christina in St. Petersburg. They met for pizza that night.
Over the last year, they've seen each other a dozen times. Twice, they flew together to New York, to tell their story on Good Morning America and on Fox News. They also appeared in Sweet 16 magazine, in Seventeen and People. They found out they all like Italian food, theme parks, watching football.
Josh Melancon, 22, is engaged, managing a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Sarasota. Jake, 20, dropped out of college and is working at an Orlando car wash. Christina, 17, moved to Jacksonville and is living with her aunt, going to community college. Like most siblings, they don't always get along.
When Christina got into a big fight with her boyfriend, with whom she was living, the cops came. She called Josh. He drove up from Sarasota and whisked his little sister back to his apartment. The next day, he told her parents what had happened.
"I trusted him. He broke my trust. He was being overly protective and I don't need that," Christina says. "I just met him. I can take care of myself."
"She didn't ask me not to tell them. She called me crying in the middle of the night. She's only 17," Josh says. "I thought her parents needed to know."
Jake and Christina also got in a fight, but they've gotten over it, Jake says. "I asked for her advice about girls and relationships. I'm a really sweet guy. I like to buy flowers for girls and go shopping with them. And for some reason, Christina thought that made me gay," Jake says. "She ended up apologizing. ... I still don't really know what to do with my little sister."
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: They talk mostly through MySpace, about once a week. They're talking to Montel Williams about being on his show. Jake is moving to Tampa to go to USF in January. In June, Josh is getting married. His brother and newfound little sister will both be in his wedding.
[Last modified November 23, 2007, 11:27:42]
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