When you see news happening, share it! Doc Hicks died in 1972 so there is mystery to this day. I was so happy for Clarence, and my sons. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. According to Blasio, only about 50 of the 200-plus children, referred to as Hicks Babies, have been identified and located so far. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. But one morning, Melinda picked up a copy of Ohio newspaper, the Akron Beacon Journal on the way to work. What Drives Some People to Kidnap Children? Now please, would you get a hold of me as soon as you can? Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. For Blasio, that moment came in 2017 when she got a hit through ancestry.com and found her father who had died in 2010. Beulah George "Georgia" Tann (July 18, 1891 - September 15, 1950), was an American child trafficker who operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee.Tann used the unlicensed home as a front for her black market baby adoption scheme from the 1920s. detail_page_enabled: true, In all, hundreds of babies were born and illegally sold out of Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Ga., in the early 1950s to mid 1960s, their real identities completely erased. It turned into a business. Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. Baby Melinda cost $US1000, a price Thomas Jugarthy Hicks told her would cover the cost of the biological mothers keep. For more information, visit missamericamovie.com. The statistics surrounding the Tennessee Childrens Home Society (TCHS) are staggering: it operated in Memphis for more than 25 years, from 1924 to 1950; about 5,000 children passed through its doors; an estimated 500 children died while in its care. evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ ET on TLC. Linda Kasabian, who took part in the two days of mayhem in 1969 that left seven people dead, ended up flipping on the cult leader. It took Melinda seven and a half years to clear her husbands name. The news captivated many outside McCaysville. Dr. Hicks was a town doctor who performed illegal abortions. Buckner Hall is the fictional Kansas City preparatory school on the ABC Family show Switched At Birth. log in. They were adopted through the Georgia clinic that created a national furor back in. Police descended upon Melindas home where she would learn her mother had just been brutally murdered and her husband was the prime suspect. We were completely estranged for three years after my mums murder, Melinda said. Are there more Hicks Babies out there? The neighbour who had made Brooke wait 45 minutes on the front porch before letting her in: Tonia Brasiel. He was married and had three children. Over three nights this October, TLC's TAKEN AT BIRTH will share the untold stories of the "Hicks Babies," the name given to more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. But many aspects of his clinic remain a mystery to this day. In the mid-1940s, Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks opened the Hicks Community Clinic in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia, mere steps from the Tennessee state line. There, on the front page, was the neighbour whom Brooke had run to all those years ago. In 1947, Joan Crawford adopted twins, Cathy and Cindy, from Tann. Hed say, I know that youre innocent and try to shake his hand and be a buddy to him. I watched the jury look at Clarence, and I knew it wasnt good. [Jane] has been fighting for me and for all of us for years, says Stapleton, who retired from the Army a few years ago. The number of those who have reunited with a biological parent is even smaller - approximately 15. She said, I dont think that his eyes [the killer] were blue, Melinda recalled. TLC recently aired a very long 3 part documentary series on the Hicks Babies who were adopted out. She joined the group a few years ago after searching for siblings on-line. That pain was unbearable and I just screamed, you cant wrap your head around that, Melinda said. THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION 06 March 1972 Dr. Thomas Hicks McCAYSVILLE, Ga. - Services for Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, Sr., 83, of McCaysville will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Finch's Chapel here, burial in Crestlawn Cemetery in Copperhill, Tenn. Dr. Hicks, who operated Hicks' Clinic from around 1945 until he retired in 1965,. McCAYSVILLE, Ga. -- Forty years ago, if you had the right connections, you could buy a baby from a doctor in this little town nestled in the hills near the southern end of the Appalachian Trail. One of the Hicks babies, for example, discovers they are actually the biological daughter of the individual who was the mayor of the town at the time. Dr. Hicks was doing a service to himself, which is apparent by the lack of a safety net for the babies and the money he was charging. The story of the "Hicks Babies" broke almost 20 years ago when a researcher discovered that between 1950 and 1965, a Dr. Thomas Hicks of McCaysville, Georgia, sold babies he delivered in his clinic to couples looking to adopt children. Tennessee has its own rough past, drenched in murderous stories that will keep you locking your doors. It was a perfect match. The states key witness recanted her story, citing the prosecution for saying what everybody was telling her to say. I would be afraid to change anything.. It was like I could breathe again, Melinda said. Movie stars Dick Powell and June Allyson were among people who adopted children from Tann, who was fond of saying children were going to people of the higher type. Professional wrester Ric Flair also was a Tann baby. Young children were kidnapped and then sold to wealthy families, abused, orin some instances . Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee 37404. Your email address will not be published. He was not opposed to making money.". The neighbour, Tonia Brasiel, was cooking breakfast for her children at the time and made Brooke wait for 45-minutes on the front porch. He was in denial, says Stapleton. A three-part documentary, Taken at Birth, follows the story of Dr. Thomas Hicks who illegally arranged black market adoptions for nearly 200 babies, known as "Hicks Babies," in the '50s and '60s. Abortions were illegal at the time. I asked, do you know who he is? Clarence said, yeh, hes sitting by the window in the back. This story has been shared 106,292 times. We had a little reunion, my niece was now 10 years old. In 1997, Jane Blasio first shared the story of her illegal adoption with a newspaper in Akron, Ohio. virtual: false, In his writing, Alexander covers a wide range of topics, from cutting-edge medical research and technology to environmental science and space exploration. The only people who knew who the mother was would be Hicks and the mother herself. They would stay there for six years. The shocking truth broke in 1997 after several Hicks Babies began to uncover the dark secret of their backstories. The question is: did he take the black market baby-selling business with him? Dr. Hicks would then sell the babies for $800 to $1,000 each and would provide a forged birth certificate with the adoptive parents on the documents. And the pair have formed an easy bond: We have matching DNA tree tattoos on our backs, Stapleton says of his sister Atress Davis. John Stapleton, 55, knew since he was a kid that he was adopted. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. "They were dirt poor everyone was. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. Jane Blasio is a Hicks Baby, sold at birth and passed through the back door of a clinic in North Georgia. In the early 1950s, Hicks reportedly began advertising illegal abortion and adoption services on phone booths, bus stations, and bridges. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! ", First published on October 12, 2014 / 8:16 PM. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Jane Blasio is the youngest of the known Hicks Babies. Shortly before they moved to Memphis, Atwood was pregnant with a child she named George, whom she would call Jack. Georgia Tann died of cancer in 1950, three days before the state investigators delivered their damning report. As part of his practice, Hicks performed abortions, which were illegal at the time. At the same time, hundreds of childless couples desperate to adopt were rejected as unsuitable. We live, work and play right here in the Tennessee Valley. This is unreal," she says. He and my parents were very good friends , he was a character. But he never wrote me back.. When I started searching I did a lot of research about Tonia and Earl. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. All articles, images, product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. But in untangling the complicated web surrounding Hicks, the show opens a small towns vault of secrets, leading to bittersweet reunions and DNA bombshells. Dr. Hicks' granddaughter also strongly implied that, in some cases, Dr. Hicks himself was the father of the "Hicks babies" in question. Where can I watch the documentary taken at birth? .css-g0owdm{display:block;font-family:Memphis,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.625rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-g0owdm:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 40.625rem){.css-g0owdm{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-g0owdm{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 61.25rem){.css-g0owdm{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Carrie Underwood Shares Hilarious Fashion Fail, See Jamie Lee Curtis Jaw-Dropping SAG Awards Look. Is Sally biologically related to Dr Hicks? Your email address will not be published. That was my first thought when they told me she had been murdered. number: 3, But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. "They were instructed to come downcome through the front door, pick the baby up and leave through the back door and, and go home immediately," Dawson explained. Dr. Hicks told the first Hicks babys mother that the baby died. We now serve nearly 200 children through our Children's Program and home . They only have the notes their mother kept in her Bible. According toa 2015 ABC News report, Hicks saw a business opportunity and began persuading a select fewmostly young, poor women from Georgia and Tennessee who came to him for abortionsto carry their pregnancies to term. Which led Judy and Melinda to Maury in April 1998. Sister Wives: Evil Roots Of Kody Browns Rage Exposed? His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. Select this result to view Eric Ray Hicks's phone number, address, and more. By this time, Clarences lawyers were out of ideas. } Did Jane Blasio Ever Find Her Biological Parents? Some were children of women Hicks convinced not to have abortions. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. Texas Firefighter Who Was Stolen at Birth in Chile Says 'Time Is Running Out' to Reunite Similar Families, Zach Shallcross's Official 'Bachelor' Cast Is Revealed Meet the 30 Women Vying for His Heart, Mom Says Daughter Is 'Whole Now' After Meeting Chilean Birth Mother from Whom She Was Stolen, 'Sister Wives' Family: Everything to Know About Kody Brown, His 4 Wives and 18 Kids, See All of the Celebrity Babies Born in 2020, All About Abby De La Rosa, the DJ Who Has 3 Kids with Nick Cannon, The Best Comedies on Netflix to Stream Now, Woman Searching for Birth Parents Discovers She Was Stolen as a Baby: 'My Parents Bought a Child', Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky's Relationship Timeline, Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev's Relationship Timeline. Hicks was forced to give up his medical license in 1964 after being charged with performing illegal abortions, and he died in 1972 at the age of 83. publisher_id: "7057", "Mom said she was kicking the day she went into labor, he said. } His adoptive father, a physician who died 20 years ago, had moved his medical . [On my fathers side], my newly found cousin Donna was a DNA match, and she quickly directed me to her cousin Tommy because she had a hunch I was his sister Tommys DNA confirmed that I was Herbert Claud Cruces daughter. In 1997, the shocking news story broke, revealing that . I was collecting DNA all up to the point I figured out it was Earl Mann, Melinda said. Difficult economy and loneliness forces some retirees to move in with family, Cemetery takes out ad for goose whose mate died. He wouldnt have anything to do with him. He also secretly placed infants with out-of-state parents in off-the-books adoptions. In other reported cases, he lied to the birth mothers, telling them their babies had died post-delivery. All rights reserved. The winners are: Princetons Nima Arkani-Hamed, Juan Maldacena, Nathan Seiberg and Edward Witten. Hicks' beliefs did not fully mesh with abortions, and he would . Hicks was also conducting illegal abortions, sometimes involuntary, and he was selling babies to families for prices ranging from $100 to $1,000. Please help assist me. ET on TLC. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I did however run a nationwide search and found her name linked to a birth and a death of a child (no name) Death in my county, birth in state of Georgia. How many Hicks babies have found their biological family? Lisa Wingates BEFORE WE WERE YOURS is historical fiction based on a real-life scandal. After she was killed, I called them and they did a little tribute to her at the end, Melinda told news.com.au. Being a private investigator, she admits that shes spent decades trying to uncover the truth. My husband didnt know his father. She ultimately became an expert in illegal adoptions and went public with the story in 1997. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. So Hicks ventured across state lines and opened Hicks Clinic in McCaysville, just two blocks away from his house in Tennessee. 1 season available (3 episodes) In 1997 a shocking story surfaced. He doesnt talk to any of them but just to have a name made a big difference in our life. Hicks surrendered his medical license in 1964 for performing an illegal abortion. Please enter valid email address to continue. Taken at Birth airs Oct. 9 through Oct. 11 from 9-11 p.m. Most of the "adoptions" took place in Akron, Ohio. Don't have an account? Hicks cared for the mundane health issues of local farmers and townspeople in the front of the clinic . Unfortunately, the docuseries came to an end before it could even be concluded whether Stephens twin brother survived the birth and was sold to someone the same way he was. Hicks, who owns a dog and a cat, set up a nice space for the rescue pet in her garage, complete with a litter box, cat food, water and a "cozy" box that included a soft sweater. Finally, they were warned: Get out of town as quickly as possible. It's a remarkable update to a story Eyewitness News covered over 30 years ago: A woman abandoned as a baby in Irwindale in 1990 has finally met some of her loved ones for the first time. They were. The catalyst came when Melinda visited Clarence in prison one day. In January of 1965, Jane Blasio became one of those babies, but it wasnt until age 6 that she learned she was adopted, and age 14 when she first saw her own forged birth certificate bearing the Hicks Clinic name. Somebody killed my grandma. widget: true, Clarences lawyers submitted a motion for a new trial, but the prosecution argued Melinda had polluted her family and was coercing them to change their mind. Jane Blasio pledges to continue the search for more truths and answers as the series comes to an end. However Mom never got to see the baby. After you went public with your story in 1997, you were contacted by a woman who thought you might be the daughter of her good friend, Kitty Self, because of your striking resemblance to both Self and her son. That he was stillborn. Summary. A&E True Crime spoke with Blasio about her new memoir, Taken at Birth: Stolen Babies, Hidden Lies, and My Journey to Finding Home in which she details how she uncovered her birth story. virtual: false, Earl Mann was finally convicted in 2008. He asked what I had done with my search and after we discussed it, he told me I was on the right path and to start honing my investigation skills by working for a licensed PI [private investigator]. How did you originally get into professional investigation? After watching Taken at Birth it sounded just like my mom. The series does end without them ever successfully finding his twin. But eventually, those children want to know more about birth parents. After the DNA tests this summer failed to turn up more matches, she's calling for another round soon. Six of those births - more than 10 percent - were Hicks babies sold out of state. And, he meets his sister. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The story broke in 1997, revealing that Hicks was alleged to have spearheaded a black market baby ring out of his clinic. We celebrate community and we tell your stories. I knew early on that to find my information, I would have to find out who Hicks was. 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