Monday, February 14, 2005

‘Baby 81’, a four-month-old baby boy so named because he was the 81st admission into the hospital that day, has been confirmed to be the child of Jenita and Murugupillai Jeyarajah. He was lost during the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 228,000 people. Eight other families also claimed him to be their lost baby although no others filed a formal claim for the child.

DNA tests confirmed the Jeyarajahs as the real parents after the couple waited seven weeks for his return. The parents tried to get him back many times and were involved in a physical attempt at taking him. His father also said that he would commit suicide if authorities did not return his child.

“I am so happy, and I only have to thank God for giving my child back… We’ve got the results for all our hardships,” Mr. Jeyarajah said after the ruling.