Man Who Was Homeless for Three Decades is Reunited With His Family When a Cop Discovers His True Identity

With the help of a deputy sheriff, Myers’ life was turned around. The sheriff and a volunteer assisted each other in getting Myers out of harm’s way. In addition, he was able to reconnect with his mother who had been estranged from him for years. Read on to learn all about this incredible story.

In high school, Myers excelled in marching band and was a decent student. As he grew older, things started to go downhill for him. As a teenager, he had a difficult time relating to his siblings, which made him feel like an outsider in his family.

Following his loss of job, Myers was unsure what to do with himself. He had no support system and felt miserable.

It didn’t matter that he moved constantly, he still had a schedule that he adhered to and became close to his coworkers. Even though Myers had been homeless, he was an influential leader in the company.

After being put in a wheelchair for a year, Myers was only able to walk with crutches after being rehabilitated. With his condition, he realized that he wouldn’t have the option to continue working as a truck driver.

Although he had only given him warnings, the 33-year-old officer had never had a conversation with Myers. The only thing he knew was that he was a homeless man who begged often on Foothill Boulevard.

The homeless man told the deputy about his family, disability, and life on the street during their conversation. In the absence of an ID, the man could not claim social security benefits. The inability to claim benefits made his situation of being homeless even more precarious. He had lived without documentation for most of his life.

Despite his issues finding a job, Myers briefly worked in the manufacturing and food service industries, as well as the Department of Motor Vehicles of the District of Columbia.

Myers was deeply touched by Swalwell’s generosity. Swalwell told him, “you’ve got someone to help you now. I will help you get an ID, so you can get social security and get off the streets.” This generosity led to the beginning of their friendship.

Myers’ refusal to waste any of the money he made on alcohol or drugs also contributed to Swalwell’s belief that he was telling the truth. One of the nearby restaurants was the only thing he could afford, so Myers spent all his money on fast food.

In order to receive his government ID, Myers would need to obtain a birth certificate and prove that he was a California resident. Knowing the difficulties this process would entail, Swalwell asked, “How does a homeless person come up with two forms of residency?”

Eventually, the deputy turned in Myers’ birth certificate and paperwork to the DMV. After jumping through countless hoops and submitting lots of paperwork, Myers finally acquired a photo ID in December of 2017.

After helping Myers get off the street, Swalwell quickly became the center of attention. Having picked up on the story, the local media reached out to Swalwell to get more details about the case.

Swalwell offered to help Myers with finding his long lost family members. It would greatly increase Myers’ chances of actually finding a place to live if he could find a willing family member to help him get back on his feet.

Even if his family wanted to locate Myers, it was impossible since he fell off the grid, just like countless other homeless people before. Aside from that, he wasn’t up to date with the latest technology and hadn’t used anything like the Internet or cell phones since the 1980s.

It is now standard practice to meticulously record a newborn’s information in a computer database immediately after birth. Prior to the 1950s, this practice was not common. Numerous records from the first half of the 20th century have not yet been digitized and are therefore inaccessible to the public.

Following the annulment of their marriage, the couple placed their child, Mick, up for adoption. Myers’ biological father had long since passed away, but Askins found out about him in no time at all.

Askins made a bold move by attempting to call the number in hopes that it would go through. After answering the phone, he found a woman who appeared to be elderly. At the age of 85, Mrs. Oakley, also known by her middle name Pauline, was still alive!

Despite working multiple jobs, she could no longer pay off the medical bills, despite her extra work. To ensure that his chances of thriving in this world were as good as possible, she made the difficult decision to give him up for adoption.

Pauline was eager to reconnect with her long-lost son as soon as Askins contacted her about Myers. Although their first phone call took place in March of 2018, Myers and Pauline continued to communicate.

Myers was greeted by Shannon, his niece, at the airport as they landed, another pleasant surprise. Shannon ended up driving Myers, Askins, and Swalwell to Pauline Oakley’s home.

Neither mother nor son had ever imagined that they would ever meet again. Both wept in each other’s arms. Since Myers had lived on the streets for so long, he was particularly touched by this moment.

In his own life story, Myers spoke about all the things he was thankful for, as well as how much he loved his adoptive family. In addition to discussing his estranged adoptive relatives, he also spoke of the many struggles he had endured.

She said, “I just get so sad when I think of the things I got to do with his siblings and with their children. All the experiences they’ve had, things they have done. The advantages they’ve enjoyed. And I got so sad when he told me how he had been mistreated. The emotional abuse of never being accepted.”

Myers eventually moved in with his mother and was quickly welcomed as a family member. With the help of his insurer and his new friend, deputy Jacob Swalwell, he was also able to apply for social security benefits.

There is no doubt that this family was meant to reunite. Myers replied affirmatively, “I’ve always wondered all these years why things turned out the way they did. This wondering has disappeared now.” This sweet reunion was only made possible by the effort and help of Jacob Swalwell and Mark Askins.

It truly took a village to get Myers back on his feet. This story serves as a reminder of just how far a bit of kindness can go.