Former NYPD detective, Debra McCarthy, was inspired to look for her biological parents after her family and friends died from the 9/11 terror attacks. Using her well-honed sleuthing skills, she was able to find both her birth parents.
A woman who looked like her
The 51-year-old female sergeant told PEOPLE that she saw a woman who looked just like her. She was standing in the narcotics division's main area days after the terror attacks. She had always wanted to search for her real family but she did not pursue it because she was afraid of hurting her adoptive mother.
McCarthy was adopted since she was two, and she had a deep desire to look for her blood-related family. When she saw her doppelganger, she started looking for her family of origin.
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Importance of family
Apart from that, seeing the collapse of the Twin Towers had made McCarthy see how important her family and loved ones are. That horrific day, 87 of her friends and family got lost. She and her husband, FDNY Battalion Chief Thomas McCarthy, lost relatives and friends who attended their wedding.
McCarthy was on maternity leave after giving birth to her first child. The terror attacks made her think of the babies who died, as she brings babies to funerals.
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Used her skills for the search
For the next few weeks and months, McCarthy started looking for her parents as her husband looked for bodies in the rubble. She was able to find her mom, thanks to the skills she had honed after working as a police officer for three years. Other than that, she had also worked as an undercover vice and narcotics detective for seven years.
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Her mom told her that her dad, Charlie Sullivan, had been looking for her for years. She explained that she was an only child, so he called every year on McCarthy's birthday. Finally, McCarthy met her birth dad in Breezy Point, where she had started her career as a patrol officer.
Family reunion
She and her dad planned a family reunion, including a wide array of Irish and Italian aunts, uncles, and cousins, weeks later. Her Aunt Mary and Uncle Patsy told her that she came at a good time because they had lost their son and nephew during the attack.
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Funny thing is that the woman she saw at One Plaza who looked a lot like her was her cousin, Sgt. Mary Young. McCarthy is extremely grateful that her biological family welcomed her with open arms.
While so much had happened that day, her story is proof that there is still a glimmer of hope in our lives. She also said that their story is about loss, love, and never giving up on finding your family.
