Jeremy Morrison and Kyle Bylin allege they were switched at birth at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, N.D., on Jan. 28, 1988, and raised by each other's parents for 36 years. The pair connected after consumer DNA testing and have sued the hospital, which confirms the births but denies responsibility and says records from that era are unavailable. The families seek answers, an apology and damages for the emotional harm caused by the decades-long separation.
Mothers Speak Out After Men Say They Were Switched at Birth 36 Years Ago — Families Sue Hospital
Kyle Bylin (left), Jeremy Morrison (right).Credit: Kyle Bylin; Jeremy Morrison
Two families are demanding answers after Jeremy Morrison and Kyle Bylin say they were switched at birth at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota, on Jan. 28, 1988. The men and their parents have filed a lawsuit alleging the hospital or its staff sent each baby home with the wrong family, a separation that lasted 36 years.
How the Swap Was Allegedly Discovered
According to the families' complaint, Kyle Bylin discovered he was not biologically related to the woman who raised him after taking a consumer DNA test while researching his supposed German ancestry. Around the same time, Ancestry.com data showed a large DNA match between Jeremy Morrison and a relative of the family that raised Bylin. The two men connected, compared details and say they learned they were the only two infants born at Unity Medical Center on the same day — an apparent explanation for how the alleged mix-up could have occurred.
Kyle Bylin; Jeremy Morrison.Credit: Kyle Bylin; Jeremy Morrison
Parents Speak Out
"Shock, disbelief. It felt surreal," Elizabeth O'Toole, who raised Jeremy Morrison, told CBS News when she learned Jeremy was not her biological son. "I mean, it really didn't feel real until I met Kyle in person."
Evelyn Newton, who raised Kyle Bylin, told reporters she is upset the hospital has downplayed the families' allegations.
Hospital Response and Legal Claims
Unity Medical Center confirmed both men were born at the hospital on the same day in 1988 and said the two "apparently were separated from their biological parents." The hospital denied responsibility for a switch, stating it has "found no evidence to support claims that Unity Medical Center or its staff were responsible for what occurred," and noting that nearly four decades have passed and relevant medical and staffing records are no longer available.
Jeremy Morrison as a child.Credit: Jeremy Morrison
In their lawsuit, Morrison and Bylin — and the parents who raised them — claim the prolonged separation inflicted "permanent and irreparable damage" to parent-child relationships and seek accountability, an apology and answers about whether the alleged error was accidental or intentional.
What the Men Want
"I would like an apology from the hospital," Morrison, who now lives in Colorado, told CBS News. "I would like them to realize they did make a mistake — there were only two babies there and they went home with the opposite families. The hospital is 100% at fault. I would like to know if this was done intentionally."
The legal process is ongoing as the families pursue discovery and clarification about events that unfolded more than three decades ago.
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