Abandoned 27 Years Ago, 'Burger King Baby' Finds Mother

[March 27, 2014]  By Daniel Kelley

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) — A woman abandoned as a newborn 27 years ago in an Allentown, Pennsylvania, fast-food restaurant bathroom has been reunited with her birth mother after a social media blitz, local media reported on Wednesday.

Katheryn Deprill, left in the Burger King bathroom only hours after she was born, met her birth mother on Monday in a lawyer's office, she told WFMZ television in an interview.

Deprill said her birth mother, who she did not identify, recounted getting pregnant after being raped while on a trip abroad and giving birth in her childhood bedroom at the age of 17. Her parents did not know she was pregnant and she was afraid to tell them, she said.

"She left me somewhere she knew I'd be found. She did not want to throw me away," Deprill told the station.

Deprill took the baby to the Burger King because it was crowded, and she knew the newborn would be found quickly.

Deprill, a mother of three who works as an emergency medical technician, launched a Facebook campaign on March 2 in an effort to find her mother. A photo of Deprill, holding a handwritten sign describing the circumstances of her birth, has been shared more than 32,000 times on the social media site.

"Looking for my birth mother," the sign read. "Please help me find her by sharing this post. Maybe she will see this."

Deprill was adopted by Brenda and Carl Hollis, and remained in the Allentown area.

John Waldron, an attorney who facilitated the meeting told WFMZ that the birth mother had also stayed in the area, and saw the campaign within a few days of its launch.

"It's a starting point for them because now they've started a relationship, and they're going to stay in contact," Waldron said. He did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

(Editing by Scott Malone)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.