Local Man Meets The Biological Son Left Near A Dumpster 25 Years Ago For First Time Sunday

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —  It was a family reunion 25 years in the making.

CBS2's Joy Benedict was there when a local man met his son for the first time after 25 years.

What made it more newsworthy, was the fact that the little boy – abandoned at birth – was rescued from next to a dumpster in a dirty alley in Santa Ana.

Benedict said the first series of family photos was a bit awkward. The two men posing in the middle of the extended family photo are biologically close but had never met.

"It's wonderful, it's a journey," said Robin Barton.

Twenty-five years ago, Barton was better known as "Baby Adam." Let alone, crying.

He was eventually adopted by two loving parents.

Barton always knew he was adopted but only recently found out his miracle beginning.

"My adoptive family has been overly supportive throughout this," Barton told Benedict.

He got the chance to meet the man who rescued him just a few days ago.

What he didn't know was that his biological father, coincidentally, had been looking for him.

"For a long time, waited a long time for this interview," said Marcos Meza who celebrated his own birthday just yesterday. He told Benedict that meeting his son Sunday was an incredible gift.

After Robin was found near the dumpster, a judge terminated Meza's parental rights. He never got to meet his son or hold him. He didn't even know his name until this week when he saw Barton reuniting with his rescuer.

Meza says he had five daughters and a big family – they always knew about Robin but they couldn't find him.

The adoption records had been sealed but Meza says that after Barton's story aired last week, his phone began ringing off the hook.
"It's like a dream? Or what?," he said.

Meza's English isn't perfect, Benedict reported. Robin's second language is French. But they really didn't have much trouble communicating.

They also discovered, pretty quickly, they have lots of similarities.

"Many people told me-- he looks like you, the nose, the ears, everything. He looks like you," Meza says.

His new large family might take some getting used to, Barton says.

"I was raised as an only child, so this is more of a shock," he said.

They all agreed to spend more family time when they could.

"I want to try and talk like father and son, if he says it's okay," said Meza.

Barton said he was cool with that. If it's one thing he's learned in life, he told Benedict, was to be grateful – for the officer who saved him, his adopted parents and the family who raised him.

And now, too, for the family he's just met.