Cleveland native hunted down adoption details — left stunned by a headline from 50 years ago

For most of her life, Pearl Marshall felt like a small piece of her story was missing. Not that she missed out on any of her major milestones. In fact, adopted as a baby, she had a loving family, was a Girl Scout at school, became a music teacher, and found the love of her life, as News 5 Cleveland (@news5cleveland) reported on March 3. However, the question of her birth origins always gnawed at her. So, when decades later a surprising discovery revealed her connection to a newborn once found abandoned, her long search for answers finally began to make sense.

It was the year 1972 when a beautiful baby with blue eyes was adopted by a couple in Cleveland. They had been trying for a while to conceive a child, so when the opportunity presented itself, they took it. Pearl later married John, who, like her, had also been adopted at birth. But when the couple sought birth certificates from adoption records, Pearl was saddened to see a Jane Doe certificate with just the name “Jeanne Westgate” and her birthplace as "Westgate Shopping Center.” Just then, she remembered something her adopted mother said years ago. “My adopted mom had a feeling right away that I was the baby from the article,” informed Pearl.

Pearl and Jack turned to the internet and found the article title: “Abandoned Baby Found at Plaza.” They soon emailed the Rocky River police, which is how Chris Gerrett, the city’s historical researcher, found them. Pearl's talent for piecing together small clues came in handy as Gerrett identified all the key figures from the 50-year-old news article, especially two women named Rita Marshall and Darlene Gilleland. In August 1972, the coworkers were in Westgate Shopping Center's parking lot when they noticed a rustling paper bag in an abandoned shopping cart beside their car. “It was dark, so I had to get close,” Marshall recalled. “Then I saw her little face and shouted, ‘Darlene, it’s a baby!’”

Newborn abandonment is a pressing issue in the United States even today. In fact, according to the National Safe Haven, in 2021, a total of 31 babies were placed in dumpsters or found in backpacks. 73 babies were saved by the Safe Haven Laws, but unfortunately, some still ended up deceased due to harsh environmental exposure. However, the law does provide safe options for parents who are incapable of taking care of their infant. After all, more than 5000 children have been safely adopted since its inception in 1999.

The police were called, and the two stayed with the baby girl throughout their way to the Fairview Hospital. Even after more than five decades, the memory never faded for Gilleland and Marshall. Marshall held on to the newspaper clippings and photos from that time and still looks through them every now and then. “I’ve always thought about her,” said Marshall. “I wondered how she was. What she was doing.”  “I would think of her quite often,” said Gilleland. 

On Instagram, @katie_ussin_wews of @news5cleveland revealed that the women reunited in Fairview Park after more than five decades. Gilleland and Marshall, who still live in Northeast Ohio, embraced Pearl in an emotional meeting that felt almost surreal. She has also connected with her biological father; however, her search for her biological mother continues. And with that, the story of the “Baby Westgate” that began in a parking lot more than 50 years ago finally came full circle.

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