In the U.S. alone, roughly 460,000 children are reported missing each year.

In more recent years, 99 percent of children that go missing are returned to their homes. For the other cases, many disappear to never be seen again, becoming a mystery for cold caseworkers years later.

Occasionally, fate steps in and plays a hand in reuniting a missing child with their family many years later, after they have become adults.

A happy childhood

This was the case with Steve Carter, Jr., a 35-year-old man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He had been adopted at four years old from an orphanage in Honolulu, Hawaii. Living with his adoptive parents in New Jersey, Carter had a happy childhood, but he always wondered who his real parents were.

The case of Carlina White

When Carter read about Carlina White he became intrigued by her story.

She had been abducted at the age of three. After 23 years she was finally reunited with her birth parents. Her search for her real parents was helped by a search on the Website for the National Center for Missing children.

Exploring his past

He had gotten married and wanted kids of his own, so he was naturally curious about who his real parents were. On a whim, Carter checked the Website as well, never expecting to find anything.

“It popped up on my iPad, and right from there I went to the center’s website,” Carter told CNN.

The shock of his life

Carter had always questioned his origins.

For one, his birth certificate wasn’t issued until a year after he was born. On his birth certificate, his father’s ethnicity was listed as Hawaiian. Upon clicking on the Website, he made a shocking discovery.

He found an age-progression photo from a kidnapping case in Hawaii.

The picture looked just like him. It was at this point that he called the Honolulu Police Department.

“I let them know my info and they ran with it,” Carter said. “They were the ones who did all the legwork.”

Taking a DNA test proved that he was the child in the missing person case.

His birth name was Marx Panama Moriarty Barnes. It seemed his mother, Charlotte Moriarty, had taken him for a walk one day and returned without him.

His father, Mark Barnes, had no idea what had happened to his son, reported him missing. As for Carter, he remembers his mom taking him to the orphanage and telling the staff his name was Tenzin Amea.

Carter’s adoption story

His adoptive parents came into Carter’s life while his dad was stationed in Oahu while in the U.S. Army. When they decided to adopt Carter, he had been in foster care for about three years. It was love at first sight and soon, the young Carter was a part of their family.

Finding his real father

By taking a DNA test, Carter was able to track his birth father down living in California with his two daughters. As for Carter’s mom, he has no idea where she is.

When he reached out to his birth father, it was a big shock, so they decided to take it slow.

Thanks to the DNA testing, Carter also discovered he had a half-sister through his mother. Now, he and his half-sister have plans to track their mother down

For more on this amazing story and Carter’s incredible journey, watch the video below.

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Sources: YouTube – CNN, People, CNN, Reuters