After finding a fraudulent Social Security card with her name on it, a woman who had been adopted as a child was able to get in contact with her biological mother for the first time.
In a TikTok posted over the weekend, Aiesha Myricks (@aieshamyricks) says that when she was moving out of her parents’ house at 21 years old, she found a Social Security card with her name—or a version of her name spelled differently—on it in her closet.
Myricks says she was adopted, and when she asked her mother about it, she said that the card was a mistake and had a typo on it, and disposed of it.
But when Myricks googled her name over a year later, she saw that her name was included on an online forum about information concerning missing children that had been archived in 1997. A missing person’s ad had been put out with her name on it, and the person who posted the ad had included a lot of specific information about Myricks’ birth.
Myricks got in touch with the woman who posted the ad via email. Once she connected with her on the phone, she said that she was Myricks’ biological mother, and had been looking for her entire life.
“That was one of the craziest days of my whole life,” Myricks says in her TikTok.
On Monday, her video had over 6 million views.
@aieshamyricks #stitch with @Susi the day I found my name in a missing person’s ad I was at work. Life is so crazy #pesto #adoption #storytime #NYC ♬ original sound – Aiesha 🪭
In a follow-up video, Myricks says that she met her biological mother in person and that her mother told her that she had been in jail and then living in New York throughout Myricks’ entire life.
“She didn’t know how to contact me,” Myricks says in her follow-up TikTok. “But I also understand that she did not have the resources for a stable life because she did deal with addiction.”
With regard to the Social Security card, Myricks says her mother was “a little scammy” and had multiple identities she used to commit fraud. The name on the Social Security card was one of her mother’s identities.
Myricks clarifies in her follow-up TikTok that she was not kidnapped; she was legally adopted, and her adoptive mother made an effort to protect her from her biological mother by changing Myricks’ name.
Less than two years after they met for the first time, Myricks says her biological mother died of an overdose. She says they met up a “handful of times,” and that she’s glad that they did.
Myricks also posted a video of her adopted mother talking about the adoption along with photos of the two of them from Myricks’ childhood.
Commenters on both of Myricks’ videos were shocked by her story.
“AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?” one commenter wrote. “This really is a wild ride.”
“The way I had to pick my jaw up off the ground!!!” another said.
On Myricks’ final video explaining the situation, some commenters said they were relieved to hear that she wasn’t kidnapped. Others thanked her for sharing her story.
“I was worried the story would be your adopted mom would be the bad guy,” a commenter said. “Glad it turned out she was the best mom for you!”
“Re-telling the story takes strength,” another person said. “I’m glad you were able to tell your story.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Myricks via TikTok comment.
