edited at 7:32pm PST on March 15th, 2020 to clarify early event. It does not change the core of the events, but to be be transparent, I am updating the post.

This has been a post that I have been contemplating doing, but I feel the need to write this up at this point.

Last year (2019), I submitted to Ancestry DNA because they had launched Health Reports and other information based on DNA. Since I had spent my entire life having a blank spot in my family medical history (due to not knowing my father), I hoped that I could get some answers about things I might be at risk for (like certain types of cancer, diabetes).

I ended up getting more than I expected.

Less than a week before I was scheduled to fly home for my grandmother’s remembrance of life, I got my Ancestry DNA results. I had an woman listed as my aunt that I did not know. I knew the family name of Jurkas, having grown up in a County where George Jurkas had been the Sheriff.

My mind started spinning, and to say I was extremely caught off guard was an understatement.

My initial reaction was to ask my mom. I was actually scared to do that, because I didn’t know how she would respond. Her first response was that of shock, and I left it alone as I could tell this had put her off her guard.

While waiting to fly out to Michigan, I attempted to reach out to the woman on my DNA match, as I had found her through Facebook, and through my own investigative work, I found that there were two male Jurkas in the age range that could have been my father.

While I was in Michigan, my mother and I had a conversation about what happened before and directly after I was born. She also let me know that John “Jay” Jurkas was, in fact my father. Unfortunately the doctor did not think that I was likely to be John Jay Jurkas’ son, as it was suspected I was too early, and I had been carried full term according to the doctor.

When I went into the hospital for pneumonia as an infant, he was put down as the potential father, for insurance through Social service, but no follow-up was performed.

After I had been around, John ‘Jay’ Jurkas did ask my mother if there was potential that I was his child, but based on what the doctor had said, my mother told him that I could not be his child, and no further testing was done.

After a weekend of contemplating my next actions, I decided to attempt to contact John Jay Jurkas through Facebook. I received no response from him, and eventually he blocked me, and then deleted his Facebook account all together.

A few weeks after I had returned home to California, my aunt had found my invite on FB and had added me. Her reaction was such a relief to me, but she warned that if John Jay Jurkas was in fact my biological father, that he would never accept me. I accepted that, and took what information I had and began to verify information.

This involved discussing with my mom again, and doing some light detective work for information that can be found online. I was fairly confident in my conclusion, but John Jay Jurkas had decided that he wanted to try and deny that I could be his son, throwing his brother’s family into chaos.

After, yet again, confirming the timeline of events with my mother, and my cousin’s taking Ancestry DNA Tests confirm they are in fact my first cousins, not my half siblings, we landed back at the same conclusion we had back in July, that John Jay Jurkas is my biological father.

This is based on all information that is currently available to me. I am aware that AncestryDNA results are not court admissible, but I am and have been willing to take part of a paternity test with John Jay Jurkas.

While I know that John Jay Jurkas and his wife Cindy Wershem Jurkas probably want nothing to do with me, that will not stop me from attempting to connect with my other family members, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and yes, siblings.

For those that need to verify my information, I have screenshots of all the AncestryDNA results at my disposal, but I have chosen to keep those screenshots off the site, out of respect of privacy of my aunts, cousins, and siblings.

Aren’t you worried about a lawsuit?

I know that some might say there is a chance for libel or defamation of character.

Short answer, for this post to be either of those, it would need to be a false statement purporting to be fact. I have reasonable evidence that would show these claims to be true, and I have agreed to take a court admissible DNA test, in the event that John Jay Jurkas decides he wants to contest this.

In a defamation case, it is the responsibility of the ‘defamed’ to prove that the statement is false, which would be easy by getting a paternity test.

As a general note about frivolously SLAPP Lawsuits.