Carmarthen man who found long-lost mum dead now seeks dad
- Published
Daphne Morfydd Jones' body had gone undiscovered in her flat for weeks
Having been adopted as a baby, Steven Smith had always wanted to meet his birth mum.
He spent decades searching for her until a DNA test finally gave him the breakthrough he had been chasing.
But, after deciding to surprise her at her home, he was devastated to find her dead.
Now he is hoping to find his real dad to complete the remaining part of the puzzle.
"I was born at St David's Hospital in Carmarthen in 1980 and had moved to East London with my mum when I was just three months old," said Steven, a 43-year-old dad-of-four.
"Not long after that I was placed into care, all of which I didn't find out about until I was a teenager.
"Turns out I was named Jason Jones on my birth certificate and real mother was called Daphne - it was a real shock."
He added that the truth about his origins had been further muddied by social services having lost his adoption case file.
"In 2021 I did a DNA test that revealed I had a half-brother I never knew about - turns out he'd just done a similar test himself," said Steven, who had moved to Essex by that point.
"What is more, he was living barely 30 minutes up the road from me."
That lead him to discover he also had a half-sister - one who knew of his mother's whereabouts.
"I was given an address in Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets and I waited until the Covid restrictions had lifted before going over there," said Steven, a security officer.
Steven Smith has a daughter named Amy
"I wanted to impress Mum so I wore a suit and took a bunch of flowers, but when I arrived at her flat there was no answer and a pile of unopened mail on the doorstep."
Walking round the back to investigate he discovered the rear door unlocked.
"I went inside and there she was, slumped on the bathroom floor.
"The neighbours told me she hadn't been seen for a week or two, so I'm guessing that's how long she'd been dead."
Daphne Morfydd Jones, a 62-year-old caterer, was cremated later that same month, with Steven organising the service and carrying the coffin, alongside his new-found half-siblings.
In fact, he has since found out he's the eldest of eight children, with Daphne having another four boys and three girls in the years after he'd been born.
The search for who is really is didn't stop there.
'Meeting Dad would be the final piece of the jigsaw'
"I now need to find my real dad to get some sort of closure," said Steven.
"But all I know for sure is that his name's Frank and he was sent to prison, what for I don't know, not long after I'd been born.
"I think that's why I was given up, because my mum was struggling to cope on her own."
He added that Frank, if still alive, might have strong links with the traveller community in south Wales.
"I don't know if he realises Daphne's no longer with us, but I'd like to be able to let him know.
"Meeting him would be like putting in the final piece of the jigsaw."
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