BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Two half-brothers from Florida have reunited after discovering they are related.
It all started with a life-changing email a couple of months ago when Orange County Sheriff's Office Sgt. David Stull completed an ancestry test.
He soon found his long-lost half-brother, who also works in law enforcement.
"Sitting down at breakfast and reading an email that you have a half-brother you never knew about, it was stressful and emotional," Boynton Beach Police Department Officer Eric Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he submitted a DNA sample to find out his family history, not thinking he would receive an email from a long-lost relative.
"My mom (has been) a Miami-Dade County homicide sergeant for almost 30 years, and the last thing I wanted to be coming out of college was a cop, but things worked their way and I guess it is in our DNA," Reynolds said.
Stull did his ancestry test a little over a month ago, while Reynolds did his a few years ago. But when Stull got his results back, a button at the bottom asked him if he wanted to match with relatives.
"I clicked on that, and I was expecting to see cousins and things like that, and top of the list is half-brother, and I wasn't expecting that," Stull said.
Reynolds and Stull found out they share the same father.
Reynolds has other siblings he grew up with, while Stull was an adopted only child. He said he was given a great life and things just got better.
"My wife is always like, 'Are you texting your brother again?' And, of course. We've got 50 years to make up for," Stull said.
With a handshake and a hug, their first meeting was July 20.
"For me, it's really cool I've got a big brother now," Reynolds said. "I've never had a big brother."