Rolnick Research was an integral part of CeCe Moore's DNA Detectives team that solved a highly-publicized foundling (abandoned child) case.
Related videos:
Book available for purchase:
"The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me" by Paul Joseph Fronczak and Alex Tresniowski
“My mother was a foundling, with no knowledge whatsoever of either of her birth parents. I had her submit a DNA test through Ancestry.com about a year ago and began doing some research on the list of DNA matches that appeared. On my own, I was just not able to make much sense of the long list of DNA matches. I decided to hire a professional and called Carol. The outcome was amazing! In about a week, Carol had found both my mom’s birth mother and birth father, along with three living half-sisters and a half-brother as well as other birth family members. She completely solved a life-long mystery (my mom is 83) in a flash! I am absolutely amazed at how much information Carol was able to find. Carol is lovely and pleasant to work with and her fees are very reasonable. I can’t recommend her highly enough!”
- Pamela Rogers (Carlsbad, CA)
“I engaged Carol on a project to identify living cousins who are genetic carriers of a rare mitochondrial disease called Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) that passes from a mother to all of her children and can cause sudden-onset legal blindness. She built out mitochondrial trees for several families carrying a LHON mutation, identified all their living mitochondrial cousins including contact information, and provided guidance on how to do the outreach. Her reports made everything clear for the participating families and she delivered helpful strategies on how to make contact with warmth and the confidence that comes from deep experience.
Carol developed a comprehensive presentation about the project and delivered it at our recent LHON Conference to educate and inspire other LHON families to do their own genetic genealogy projects. Carol was a perfect fit for this endeavor as she is clearly passionate about her work, meticulous with her research, a master at finding living individuals, and an extremely effective communicator.
I wholeheartedly recommend Carol's services to others who have similar projects, and to anyone seeking a collaborator in applying genetic genealogy in innovative ways.”
- Lissa Poincenot (San Diego, CA) Patient Advocate, LHON.org
"I was referred to Carol Rolnick to help me with DNA research--and I'm certainly glad I was! Just some of her great attributes were her research knowledge base, her friendliness, and her understanding of DNA. She kept me updated on a regular basis, including personally calling me on the phone to let me know when she had found my biological father's name. I really appreciate everything she did, but most importantly for me, she was extremely thorough and competent. I can't thank her enough for her kindness and help! If anyone wants to hire a DNA genealogical researcher, I would very highly recommend Carol Rolnick."
- R.C. (Salt Lake City, UT)
Testimonials & Case Studies
"I discovered through DNA testing that the father who raised me was not my biological father, and I worked with Carol to help me identify by bio-dad. She made sense of my complicated DNA results, and she was able to pinpoint my bio-dad so quickly! She also turned my mixed emotions into appreciation for my bio-dad. This well-kept secret turned out to be a vital aspect of myself, and the similarities are amazing. My life has been greatly enriched through new relationships with my biological family. Thanks Carol for ALL you’ve done to help me through this journey of discovery.”
- R.M. (Carlsbad, CA)
"If you are looking for your biological family member(s) and have no clue where to begin, I highly recommend Carol Isbister Rolnick. She has such a tremendous wealth of knowledge and is truly passionate about DNA and reuniting families. I had no idea what a centimorgan was and I got lost after the 2nd cousin once removed! Carol becomes a fast friend, trusted advisor, and provides you with that last bit of courage that it takes on this journey. “
- Shauna Valdez (Alpharetta, GA)
Case Study
Paul Fronczak
DNA solves 50-year mystery
"When I was 12 years old, my mother thought I was old enough to understand and shared the truth that the man I knew as my “father” wasn’t my biological father. After discovering that her husband was unable to father children, and unable to afford artificial insemination, my mother made an unconventional plan to get pregnant and her husband agreed to raise the child as his own. My mother later divorced and I always wondered why this man (whom I believed to be my father) wasn’t a part of my life. As shocked as I was relieved to learn the truth, from that moment on I LONGED to know my biological father. But I was young and the Internet did not exist, so it felt impossible to find him. My mother shared his name and some details she remembered and I held them close to my heart for what seemed like forever.
Almost 28 years later, through pure chance, I was connected to Carol Rolnick by one of my best friends. Carol explained that if I DNA tested through Ancestry, I should be linked to cousins who shared DNA with my biological dad. I had a name, but the DNA could confirm his identity for certain, before I decided to contact him.
When my results came back, unfortunately the closest matches I had were 4th cousins. But Carol’s expertise helped me to see that I was biologically connected to both paternal and maternal lines of the man I believed to be my biological father. Carol was also able to locate his contact information and after a lot of soul searching and emotions, I finally got the courage to write the letter.
My bio father has surpassed every expectation I have ever had. He and his wife of 30 years were never able to have children, so you can imagine their surprise when I showed up with two grandkids in tow. They couldn’t have been more receptive and welcomed me with open arms! Now I can’t imagine what my life was like before I had the two of them.
I hope this testimony will be an encouragement for those who have the fears I did. And my ONLY regret is not doing this sooner. And without Carol’s expert guidance, I may never have had the courage and the biological proof I needed to feel confident about reaching out to my father!"
- Karie M. (Huntersville, NC)
Contact: rolnickresearch@gmail.com
“I am an adoptee and I did DNA testing in hopes of finding my paternal side. After working with my results for about a year on my own, I decided to get help. Carol came highly recommended by some of the leaders in the genetic genealogy community, so I was anxious to work with her. The whole experience with Carol was professional, thorough, quick – AMAZING. She kept in close contact by phone and email and before I knew it she had confirmed my paternal line! I asked her to make contact with my first cousin, and she was gentle & discreet. Her knowledge of DNA and genealogy is truly outstanding.
I can't THANK Carol enough for finally closing this chapter in my life. I now am in contact with my half-brother and cousins and have traveled to meet them as well. I highly recommend Carol to anyone searching for unknown family.”
- Geneva DeHart Visser (Greensboro, GA)
Testimonials
References gladly provided
upon request