Las Vegas family was torn apart after teenage girl born via IVF took DNA test
A Las Vegas family has been left in ruins after a DNA test revealed the couple’s 18-year-old daughter, who was born via IVF, was not their own daughter.
A lawsuit filed against the now-defunct Nevada Fertility Cares alleges that the wrong embryo was implanted in the teen’s mother nearly two decades ago by Dr. Rachel McConnell MD.
The family discovered the mistake after taking an Ancestry.com DNA test that showed the child was not biologically related to either parent.
The teen’s mother died in 2022 of unknown reasons. It is unclear whether she had siblings.
Attorney Robert Murdock, who represents the father in Clark County District Court, said: ‘My client had more tears than I have ever seen anyone shed because what he thought was his daughter is not.’
A lawsuit filed against Nevada Fertility Cares, a now-closed clinic, alleges that Dr. Rachel McConnell MD (pictured) had implanted the wrong embryo in the teen’s mother almost 20 years ago.
According to documents obtained by 8NewsNowthe couple had chosen an egg donor from Arizona to combine with the father’s sperm.
But the DNA results showed that the implanted embryo actually came from Las Vegas, and not the Arizona embryo they had decided on.
The lawsuit states that it remains unknown what happened to the original embryo and whether it was implanted in another woman.
Murdock asked if the teen’s father might have other children he doesn’t know about: “Because again, where did that embryo go?” Was that implanted in someone else?’
Attorney Robert Murdock, who filed the lawsuit and is representing the family in Clark County District Court, said, “My client had more tears than I’ve ever seen anyone shed because what he thought was his daughter — isn’t.”
The family discovered the mistake after taking an Ancestry.com DNA test that showed the child was not biologically related to either parent.
The lawyer also clarified that the father plans to officially adopt the teen and that her birth certificate will be changed, but remains curious about how the mix-up happened.
“In this case, the biological child is not his, so he has to adopt her.
“The real purpose of this is to find out what happened and why, and hopefully ensure that this is the only error that exists.”
The documents allege negligence and malpractice and require a jury to decide any fault and possible damages.
Dr. Rachel McConnell is an obstetrician/gynecologist (OBGYN) and is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, according Daily healthcare.
A court date has not yet been set.