Daughter abandoned at police station in 2001 finally finds peace after meeting her dad

In 2001, Police Sergeant Wendy Whiting appeared on ITV's show, "This Morning," with Sarah Meyer, a newborn baby whom she had rescued from a car park in Surrey. However, despite the public appeal, Meyer's parents never came forward until "Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace," the popular documentary series, finally tracked them down 24 years later.

When Wendy found Meyer, the police department had little to no clue about why she was abandoned. However, 10 days later, they received an anonymous letter that read, "Please look after my little girl. I love her so much, but I just can’t cope with another baby. Thank you to all the police officers involved, hospital staff, and the members of the public for their help. Thank you." One look at it, and the police knew Meyer's parents would never come back. What had begun to look like a dark phase for the little child changed immediately when Jo and Pierre, a kind couple, came forward to adopt Meyer and give her the life she deserved. Despite growing up with loving parents and another adopted sister, Meyer always wanted to know about her origin. "I’d like an explanation because it is something that is missing… to know where I come from… why was I abandoned?" she said.

Clearly bothered by too many questions, Meyer turned to ITV's series, known for reuniting people with families they knew nothing about. There, she took a DNA test, and by using the Long Lost Family team, she could finally track down her real parents. While Meyer's mom, who had her in her late teens, didn't wish to come on the show, her biological father was keen on meeting her. Meyer wasn't really mad at her biological mother for refusing to meet her; in fact, she said, "It’s good to hear that she’s at least alive and is out there. It leaves the door open for her to come and meet me if she wants to. And I’ll never close that door." Meanwhile, her birth father, who was just too shocked by the whole incident, confessed that he had no idea that he had a daughter all these years. 

Interestingly, when Meyer's real father was told about her, he wondered if his mother had seen her granddaughter as she worked in the same hospital where she was taken to after her rescue. Her father explained that it had been a struggle for him to process that he didn't know about his child for so long, but later admitted that he was "a bit of a lad back then" when he had met Meyer's mother. Further, when he was told about his daughter's adoption, he was shocked to notice the uncanny resemblance between them. Meanwhile, after a two-decade-long search for home, Meyer is finally at peace. "It’s insane, full circle, because I’ve been able to find my birth parents," she added.

Meyer had everything: a lovely set of adoptive parents, a sibling to die for, and most importantly, a place to call home. But despite everything, she always had this one question bothering her — queries about her biological parents, her origin, why she was left in the car park, etc. And just like Meyer, 65% of adopted individuals, according to the American Adoption Congress, show interest in knowing about their birth parents, probably seeking answers from them. Not only that, the report further claims that 72% of adopted adults are curious to know why they're adopted, and 65% want to meet their birth parents, at least once. That, in itself, brings closure.