Monica Libao spent her childhood moving from town to town with her parents, Burma and Pablo. The Libao family moved 28 times in 15 years.
Monica was 16 when her mother fell ill and her life turned upside-down. The teenager, who was already suspicious of her parents' lifestyle, transferred Burma's paperwork to the hospital and started reading through her medical files.
That's when Monica discovered her mom had a total hysterectomy nearly 20 years before she was even born!
How on earth did Burma give birth to Monica?
When she confronted her mom, Burma said her much older sister was actually her birth mother. But when Monica confronted her sister, she said their mom was lying.
Instead, Monica's sister said her real parents sold her as a newborn baby in exchange for a bus ticket.
The story was growing far too complicated and sordid. Eventually, though, Monica went on to get married and have a daughter.
But a few years later, Monica decided she was ready for some answers. During a heated conversation at a family gathering, Burma and Pablo said something that led Monica to believe a much darker and twisted truth about her past.
Monica Libao grew up in Texas in the '70s with her parents, Burma and Pablo.
The couple were relatively old to have a child Monica's age.
Her two sisters, who were much older, were already grown and had moved away.
But here's the thing: Burma and Pablo picked up and moved 28 times in 15 years. That's nearly one move every six months.
Whenever Monica would come home from school and see moving boxes, she'd instantly know it was time to go again.
As a little girl, Monica was always kept home from school on class picture days.
Though she grew more and more suspicious over time, she had also learned not to question her parents.
Burma fell ill when Monica was 16. The teen had to transfer her mom's medical paperwork to the hospital where she was being treated.
Monica began reading through her mom's folders when she made a life-changing discovery.
Monica saw her mother had a total hysterectomy in 1945 — nearly 20 years before she was even born!
That's when she knew that there was no possible way she belonged to Burma.
She confronted her mom, but her questions were only met with anger.
Instead, Burma told Monica that her older sister was actually her birth mother, which would mean her sister would have been 19 when she gave birth.
Monica confronted her sister about it, but she said their mom was lying.
She also said Monica's real parents sold her as a newborn baby… in exchange for a single bus ticket.
Thus began Monica's tireless search for the truth about her identity.
Suddenly, strange occurrences began to make a little more sense.
For example, Monica remembered hearing her father talk about stashing a cardboard box and feeling pressure to "tell the truth" about it.
Monica went on to get married and have a daughter of her own.
A few years later, during a family gathering, Monica decided she was ready for some answers.
During a heated conversation, Monica discovered Burma and Pablo hid her from the police as a child.
This new information led her to believe they didn't buy her from her real parents.
In 1990, Illinois Judge Jean Scott told Monica there were no records about her from the 1960s.
Monica eventually tracked down her birth certificate, but it did not list a hospital, address, or doctor.
The certificate, which was filed when she was 7 years old, said she was born in Chicago in the '60s.
Her social security card also turned out to be her father's.
Pablo and Burma both passed away without revealing the truth about Monica's birth family.
The only real clue to her identity is a uniquely shaped lobe on her left ear.
Monica had DNA tests conducted with several relatives.
The results confirmed she was not biologically related to the Libao family.
She has located several biological cousins, but they are distant relatives who have no memory of her.
Monica began researching and comparing her case to similar cases of missing women.
At one point, she believed she could have been Elizabeth Ann Gill.
On June 13, 1965, 2-year-old Elizabethwas playing with her siblings in their yard when she vanished without a trace.
However, a DNA test proved they were not the same girl.
Today, Monica lives in Florida with her family. She is still searching for her birth parents.
She believes she might have been kidnapped in Miami in the early '60s.
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