Michael McDonald grew up in the Ferguson area, attended McCluer High School, joined the Doobie Brothers in 1975 and began a solo career in 1982, according to the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The organization describes him as a five-time Grammy winner; Grammy.com lists wins for “Yah Mo B There” and “Minute By Minute.”
How the DNA service identifies relatives
23andMe’s DNA Relatives feature predicts relationships based on the amount of DNA shared and the length and number of matching segments. Its documentation says the service labels full siblings and half-siblings separately; full siblings have some fully identical DNA regions, while half-siblings share half-identical regions, according to 23andMe.
The match came from a half-brother’s test, not Goessling’s: First Alert 4 reported that the man received a result identifying Goessling as a half-brother in St. Louis within 36 hours. Goessling had known he was adopted and was raised by Paul and Kay Goessling. First Alert 4 identified singer Michael McDonald as his biological father; the two share a first name by coincidence. First Alert 4’s account reported those details.
A court process for adoptees seeking records
Missouri law provides a separate route for adopted adults seeking identifying information about their biological parents: an adopted adult may submit a written request to the circuit court that handled the adoption, with disclosure subject to statutory procedures, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes.
The family met after the match
Goessling met his birth mother in person on his 58th birthday, then spoke by phone with his biological father before they met face to face, according to First Alert 4. The station reported that the two embraced when they met.
The meeting also made McDonald a grandfather. First Alert 4 reported that McDonald expressed pride in Goessling’s family, said he had felt guilt about not knowing how his son’s life had gone, and credited Goessling’s adoptive parents for raising him. The station also reported that McDonald and Goessling’s biological mother have remained close friends.
