DNA Test On Identical Triplets Leads To The Most Puzzling Twist

The Dahm sisters are beautiful, blonde, and obviously identical triplets — but that only made the analysis of their DNA so much stranger. They had actually handed their DNA samples to experts on The Doctors, not expecting to discover anything of note. Yet the results they received revealed a decades-old secret. The fallout from the wild revelation had daytime television fans enthralled, the triplets scratching their heads, and the family’s backstory completely upended.

Can’t tell them apart

The analysis came about after Inside Edition began investigating just how accurate home DNA testing really is. And as Nicole, Erica, and Jaclyn — the Dahm triplets — are identical sisters, you’d think their DNA samples would be pretty much identical as well. It was certainly clear that investigative reporter Lisa Guerrero and the triplets were not expecting any strange results.

Famous last words

“I think they’ll be the same,” Erica said of her expectations of the results. Her sisters agreed, too. “We have to have the same DNA,” said Jaclyn. After all, the triplets are so similar that even their own parents apparently had to give the sisters tattoos just to identify them when they were little! Little did they know that the tests would be very strange.

Let the games begin

You see, Lisa Guerrero wasn’t only testing the Dahm triplets. She also had three other tests running. The Maynard triplets from Nebraska supplied samples to FamilyTreeDNA and a set of New Jersey triplets used AncestryDNA, while the Pyfrom quadruplets from California gave DNA to 23andMe. “Their ancestry should be absolutely identical,” one expert told Lisa before she had the results.

Analyzing the results

But while the results should be the same, Inside Edition was keen to find out if they actually would be. It was a particularly relevant question because at-home DNA testing is a very popular holiday gift. Ancestry even boasted in 2020 that 30 million people had already used their services. And if you are trying to trace your ancestors, you want the results to be accurate, right?