DNA Test On Identical Triplets Leads To The Most Puzzling Twist

The analysis came about after Inside Edition began investigating just how accurate home DNA testing really is. And as Nicole, Erica, and Jaclyn — the Dahm triplets — are identical sisters, you’d think their DNA samples would be pretty much identical as well. It was certainly clear that investigative reporter Lisa Guerrero and the triplets were not expecting any strange results.

“I think they’ll be the same,” Erica said of her expectations of the results. Her sisters agreed, too. “We have to have the same DNA,” said Jaclyn. After all, the triplets are so similar that even their own parents apparently had to give the sisters tattoos just to identify them when they were little! Little did they know that the tests would be very strange.

You see, Lisa Guerrero wasn’t only testing the Dahm triplets. She also had three other tests running. The Maynard triplets from Nebraska supplied samples to FamilyTreeDNA and a set of New Jersey triplets used AncestryDNA, while the Pyfrom quadruplets from California gave DNA to 23andMe. “Their ancestry should be absolutely identical,” one expert told Lisa before she had the results.

But while the results should be the same, Inside Edition was keen to find out if they actually would be. It was a particularly relevant question because at-home DNA testing is a very popular holiday gift. Ancestry even boasted in 2020 that 30 million people had already used their services. And if you are trying to trace your ancestors, you want the results to be accurate, right?

So this experiment would provide the ultimate challenge for these kits. After all, triplets occur when a single fertilized egg splits into three embryos in the womb. The genetic makeup of each resulting baby is, therefore, the same. But Lisa wanted a more granular understanding of the Dahm sisters. She wanted to know if their ancestry aligned, too.

The DNA tests, supplied for the Dahm triplets by the popular ancestry site 23andMe, worked like this: the triplets surrendered spit into a small vial that was then shipped to the parent company. There, machines and professionals extracted DNA cells from the saliva for analysis. So far, so simple.

According to 23andMe, its laboratory then “processes the DNA on a genotyping chip that reads hundreds of thousands of locations in [each person’s] genome.” At this point, 23andMe will give each individual a personalized set of results that are “based on well-established scientific and medical research.” So all the triplets had to do was wait.

But this would be no ordinary reveal. As Erica is married to an executive producer of a daytime talk show, it was perhaps inevitable that the sisters would find out their answers while being filmed. So after the experts had finished analyzing the Dahms’ samples, the details of the study were shared with them on The Doctors.

When the show began, before diving into the results, The Doctors host Dr. Travis Stork asked the triplets a simple question: “How would you feel if your ancestry was different?” Nicole's answer may have echoed a lot of viewers watching at home.

“I don’t know how that could happen,” she said. “We’re one egg that split, and we all came out of our mother, so maybe a little different DNA, but we still have the same ancestry, right?” That seemed logical — and everybody appeared to agree.

The first of the two tests the sisters took looked purely at their DNA and not their ancestry. This confirmed the obvious: they were indeed identical triplets. Well, duh. The second test, though... The second test had much more surprising results.

In front of a live audience, Lisa Guerrero revealed the results of the second test. “Nicole,” she said, “you’re 18 percent British and Irish. Erica, you’re 15 percent British and Irish.” And Jaclyn? Well, that was another story — one that raised a whole bunch of questions.

Jaclyn was 19 percent British and Irish! How, the sisters wondered, could their percentages be different if their DNA was the same? These were small discrepancies in the grand scheme of things, sure — but they were discrepancies nonetheless. The test results had further surprises in store, though.

Nicole had about 11 percent French and German ancestry while her sisters had about twice as much. Meanwhile, Nicole was 11.4 percent Scandinavian, and her sisters were just 7.4 percent. With more discrepancies showing up, the sisters — and the audience — grew more confused.

What was particularly confusing was that they could actually unlock one another’s phones with their identical fingerprints. How could they be so similar, yet so different? Were they human anomalies? Well, probably not. But part of the answer was clarified when 23andMe responded.

See, 23andMe reports results based on a user’s “confidence levels." These “lower confidence levels,” the spokesperson said, “allow you to take a more speculative look at your ancestry breakdown.” Right... But what does that mean in English?

The spokesperson said that if the triplets submitted their tests with “low confidence levels,” they were “going to throw off the comparisons.” And the 23andMe representative also played down the differences as they were not that significant in size. Case closed? Maybe not.

Back on The Doctors, Lisa pitched a question to Dr. Travis. “We found a few discrepancies,” she said. “What does that say to you? What is your takeaway from these tests?” And Dr. Travis gave the diplomatic answer.

“I’m not a geneticist,” he said. “But I love the idea of these at-home tests for fun… We’re not to a place yet where you can just spit in a cup and have every single answer that you’re looking for.” So what did the tests accomplish?

For Lisa, it showed that perhaps there could be more value in spending the extra money to have a laboratory test instead of an at-home test. But there has certainly been a widening of the world's understanding and interest in genes, ancestries, and genetics. And while the Dahms may have continued to wonder about their genetic differences, they were far more fortunate than another set of triplets who experienced tragedy right from the start.

The Garrison girls were born as triplets. But while Madeline was born healthy, Macey and Mackenzie faced some serious risks. Conjoined at the pelvis, these sisters faced a very different path in life. Their parents had to make a series of gut-wrenching decisions.

Ten months after their birth, the girls faced a choice that determined the future of their family. The chief medical officer at the Los Angeles' Children's Hospital, Dr. James Stein, came forward to head an operation that could help the babies.

Dr. Stein was adamant about completing the operation. After all, while the planned surgery was not going to be easy, Stein knew it was necessary if the girls were to enjoy an independent life. Though this was no routine procedure.

Further complicating the surgery was the fact that the girls' had entwined intestines and shared a third leg. And in addition to the challenge of surgery, the girls also faced difficult personal circumstances. Their birth parents both had drug addictions, so they decided to give the girls up for adoption.

Still, the procedure couldn't be delayed any longer. During a 24-hour long operation in 2003, Dr. Stein led a team of surgeons in meticulously separating Macey and Mackenzie. If all went according to plan, both of the twins would be left with one leg.

By the last hour, the doctors knew the surgery's objective had been accomplished. Still, because of the parents' addiction issues, the future of all three sisters was hanging in limbo. Two years later, positive news developed.

The twins and their other sister were adopted by Darla Keller and Jeff Garrison. They took the girls to their home in Iowa, where with three biological sons, the Garrison family grew. Three sisters now had three brothers.

Living on a farm, the sisters thrived. Both Darla and Jeff treated them as regular kids and it helped tremendously. Macey and Mackenzie may still have had difficulties, but they had a strong determination as well.

Due to their amputations, the two relied on prosthetics to stay mobile. Several more medical issues came about as the years went by. Spinal infusions caused issue for the twins, but they persevered. Soon, a big milestone loomed ahead.

During the fall of 2020, the triplets entered their senior year of high school. Two decades of their life have almost been completed. For the first time, they could really start looking ahead to a future of their own making.

Madeline, after years of watching the medical help given to her sisters, became interested in a career in the nursing field. She wanted to narrow her focus onto geriatric patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Mackenzie had not made definite plans on her future just yet, although she realized she had a passion for agriculture. As for Macey, she has started plans to become a kindergarten teacher. One person could hardly believe the strides they'd made.

Even after all these years later, Dr. Stein wasn't forgotten. The twins may not have seen him in over a decade, but that didn't stop them from communicating. Their experience has keep them connected in unexpected ways.

The twins have given their doctor the title of "the coolest person ever" and sent over emails to keep him up to date. Dr. Stein, on his part, was ecstatic over the continued contact. He hasn't been shy about singing their praises.

Sharing an excerpt in a People magazine article entitled: "Formerly Conjoined Twins and Their Sister Enjoy Being 'Normal,'" Dr. Stein spoke about his ongoing relationship with the twins all these years later. “It’s been a wonderful experience following the girls themselves and staying in touch with them.”

Dr. Stein had the pleasure to watch as the babies recovered, grew, and matured into two very healthy individuals. The careful work that he and the other doctors performed that day in 2003 paid off well. However, the Garrison girls admitted they were a bit puzzled about all that publicity.

While the twins made headlines during their birth and surgery, both Macey and Madeline have continued to find their prominence in the news, rather odd. Even their sister Madeline could never wrap her head around it.

For all three girls, they were simply sisters to one another. The fact that the whole country knew who they were has hardly fazed them, though. They never wanted to become public figures; instead, their personal lives came first.

Their mother, Darla, was possibly the most excited to see where their future may lead. "I’m relieved because, like I said, we always knew there were going to be bumps in the road and issues," she said. But fortunately, "They’re just like their peers."

The Garrison girls ended up both a surgical success as well as an adoption one. They were fortunate enough to stay together and develop their sisterly bond and irrefutable triplet connection. And though they still have some physical obstacles to overcome, they are happy together and living their best life.