In a revelation that has left a Connecticut woman reeling, Victoria Hill, now 39, discovered that the high school boyfriend she once dated and shared an intimate relationship with was, in fact, her half-brother. This shocking truth emerged not from a family confession or a long-held secret unraveled over time but from a DNA test that upended everything she thought she knew about her origins. Hill’s story begins with her mother, Maralee Hill, who sought fertility treatment in the 1980s from Dr. Burton Caldwell, a New Haven-based reproductive endocrinologist. What Maralee believed was a routine artificial insemination procedure—using sperm from an anonymous donor—turned out to be a profound violation of trust. Unbeknownst to her, Caldwell allegedly used his own sperm, a deception that remained hidden for decades until Victoria’s curiosity about her health history led her to take a 23andMe DNA test in 2020.
The results were staggering. Instead of uncovering distant cousins or minor genetic insights, Victoria found herself staring at a list of more than 20 half-siblings—individuals scattered across Connecticut and beyond, all linked by the same biological father: Burton Caldwell. Among those connections was her former high school boyfriend, a man she had known since middle school in Wallingford, where their friendship blossomed into a teenage romance. Years after they parted ways amicably as college loomed, a text message from him following his own DNA test confirmed the unthinkable: “You are my sister.” For Victoria, the realization rewrote her entire past. Memories of high school—moments she once cherished—now carried a haunting weight, as she grappled with the fact that she had unknowingly been intimate with her half-brother.
The fallout from this discovery extends far beyond Victoria’s personal trauma. It has sparked outrage, legal action, and a push for accountability in a state where fertility fraud remains unregulated. Victoria is not alone in her ordeal. Janine Pierson, 36, another of Caldwell’s biological children, learned of her own connection to the doctor in 2022 after a similar DNA test revealed 22 half-siblings. Pierson, who grew up in East Haven as an only child, confronted Caldwell at his Clinton home, where he reportedly admitted to using his own sperm to inseminate patients, showing no remorse. Instead, he inquired about her achievements and the number of grandchildren he might have—an exchange that left Pierson stunned by his detachment. Together with her mother, Doreen, Pierson filed a lawsuit against Caldwell in 2023, alleging fraud, emotional distress, and a violation of informed consent. The suit claims Caldwell misled Doreen by promising the sperm came from a Yale medical intern, a falsehood that shattered her trust in the medical profession.
Caldwell, now in his mid-80s and no longer practicing medicine since 2004, has become the focal point of a growing scandal. Legal documents and testimonies suggest his actions may have affected dozens of families, with estimates of his biological children potentially climbing higher as more individuals come forward. The lack of specific laws against fertility fraud in Connecticut has complicated efforts to hold him accountable, though advocates argue his behavior constitutes a breach of medical ethics and basic human decency.
Victoria, too, considered legal action but was advised that without clear statutes, her case might not succeed. Instead, she joined Pierson and others in testifying before Connecticut’s Judiciary Committee in March 2024, urging lawmakers to pass legislation that would prevent such violations in the future. The proposed bill seeks to establish civil liability for doctors who use their own sperm without consent, though it stops short of criminalizing the act—a compromise that has left some advocates wanting more.
For Victoria and Janine, the emotional toll is immeasurable. Beyond the betrayal of a trusted physician, they live with the constant fear of encountering unrecognized siblings in everyday life. Victoria has spoken of passing people in grocery stores or recalling childhood friends, wondering if they, too, share her DNA. Pierson learned that two of her half-siblings had unknowingly dated in high school, compounding the sense of violation felt by this sprawling, unintended family. Their stories have resonated deeply, drawing attention to a shadowy corner of reproductive medicine where oversight has lagged behind technological advances. As of early 2025, the push for justice continues, with lawyers investigating Caldwell’s ties to Yale University, where he once served as an associate professor, to determine if institutional liability might apply.
This case is not an isolated incident. Across the United States, similar stories have emerged, from Indiana’s Dr. Donald Cline, who fathered at least 90 children, to Kentucky’s Dr. Marvin Yussman, who admitted to inseminating patients with his own sperm. These incidents have spurred legislative changes in some states, but in Connecticut, the fight is just beginning. For Victoria Hill, the journey forward is one of healing and advocacy, a determination to ensure that no one else endures the heartbreak of discovering their past was built on a lie. As she told lawmakers, “People deserve to know where they come from.” Her voice, alongside those of her half-siblings, echoes a call for transparency and reform in a field where trust should be paramount.