There are many reasons to avoid the plethora of direct-to-consumer DNA tests on the market these days. Recent data suggests that many may produce alarming false positives for disease risks, while others that claim to predict things like athletic abilities and wine preferences are simply dubious. Another, perhaps less-common concern is that an at-home genetic analysis may unveil completely unexpected, deeply disturbing information that you just can’t prepare for.

That was the case for Washington state’s Kelli Rowlette (née Fowler), who took a DNA test with the popular site Ancestry.com back in July 2017.

Rowlette was likely expecting to discover new details about her distant ancestors, but she instead learned that her DNA sample matched that of a doctor in Idaho. The Ancestry.com analysis predicted a “parent-child” relationship. Befuddled and in disbelief, Rowlette relayed the findings to her parents, Sally Ashby and Howard Fowler. According to a lawsuit the family filed in the US District Court of Idaho, she told her parents she was disappointed that the results were so unreliable.

But little did she know that her parents—who previously lived in Idaho—had trouble conceiving her and, in 1980, underwent an unusual fertility procedure with a doctor near their Idaho Falls home. The name of that doctor was Gerald E. Mortimer—who happened to have a DNA sample with Ancestry.com that matched Rowlette’s.

Back in 1980, Ashby and Fowler became patients of Mortimer after unfruitful attempts to conceive. Ashby was diagnosed with a tipped uterus while Fowler was said to have a low sperm count and low sperm mobility. The couple agreed to a fertility procedure in which Mortimer said he would mix Fowler’s sperm with donor sperm in an 85-percent to 15-percent ratio. The doctor would then use that mixture to inseminate Ashby, which he did in multiple procedures in June, July, and August of 1980.

Ashby and Fowler agreed to that plan, thinking that the donor sperm used would be from an anonymous donor that met their exact specifications. They wanted the sperm to be from a college student who resembled Fowler. Specifically, he would have brown hair, blue eyes, and be over six feet tall. Mortimer assured the couple that the donor sperm was from just such an anonymous match.

Ashby discovered she was pregnant in August of 1980 and gave birth in May 1981 to Rowlette. Mortimer delivered the baby.

Family ties

The doctor continued to provide medical care for Ashby for years afterward, during which time the couple naturally conceived a second child. Eventually, the couple decided to move to Washington state. When Ashby told Mortimer of the impending move, he cried, the lawsuit notes, suggesting he was aware that Rowlette was his biological child and he was saddened that he would be parted from her and the family.

When Rowlette first mentioned the surprise DNA results in July 2017, her parents were devastated but “painfully labored” over whether to tell their daughter the truth. It turns out, they didn’t have to. In October, Rowlette stumbled upon her birth certificate while helping her father do some cleaning. The certificate listed Mortimer’s name, which Rowlette recognized from the Ancestry.com results.

Rowlette, Ashby, and Fowler are now suing Mortimer and his practice, Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates of Idaho Falls (OGA), for in excess of $75,000. The suit accuses Mortimer of medical negligence, fraud, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract.

Ars reached out to OGA, from which Mortimer has now retired. In a statement, OGA said that none of its current providers was part of the practice during the time Ashby and Fowler received care there. Now, its providers “diligently strive to provide care to their patients that is in compliance with the standards of healthcare practice.”

In a statement to media, Ancestry.com wrote: