About Ancestry DNA results?

[Tenebrae]

My husband had his DNA analysed recently - it was part of my birthday present to him. As part of the VE celebrations, Ancestry have been allowing people free access to records. They have also sent an e-mail today, showing DNA matches. There is mention of a first cousin, which is accurate and someone we are in contact with, as well as more distant relations.

However - and this is really strange - it is also showing someone with a very close DNA match, assumed to be a parent or a child. I have emailed the person through Ancestry and we will have to see if they reply.

I am quite sure that DH doesn't have a secret love child. I suppose that it is possible that he may have a child which he doesn't know about from a previous relationship, although this seems unlikely. The other alternative is that his father was not his father, but I have always thought there to be a strong family resemblance. It's all very perplexing.

AIBU to think that this must be some sort of mistake? Does anybody have any similar experience, or is there someone who can advise how accurate these tests actually are, especially when matching up with other DNA results?

Unfortunately it will not be a mistake. The ancestry tests are very accurate when showing relationships, unless there has been a bone marrow transplant.
A member of my family found out he had a different biological father when he took the test - it came out of the blue for everyone. The amount of centimorgans (cM) shared with the match should help narrow the relationship. The link below will help.

dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4

I took a test last year and found out that my brother is only my half brother. Our dad is in fact only my dad.
Much as I wanted it to be wrong, it isn't.

We had similar with my DHs DNA. It may not be a parent or child. Turned out to be a 1st cousin to my DH. His Aunt had had a mixed race child in the 1960s and had been forced to give her up for adoption. The family them never mentioned it, so he had no idea. The adopted baby grew up, and had been looking for her birth family ever since. My DHs DNA came up as a possible “parent” but he wasn’t, he was 1st cousin (son of her mothers brother). It was a strange email though when she sent it as she started out by saying “I think you’re my father....”

This is very common and it won't be wrong. Good luck but go carefully.

I have looked again. The profile picture is pink, so the person is female - therefore, his Dad is his Dad.

The reading is 3374 cM over 91 segments, which Ancestry suggests to be a parent or child but, looking at your helpful chart, Einszwei, it could also be a sibling. Could this be a half-sibling? It's either that or my DH has another DD which he doesn't know about. Or otherwise an administrative error.

No, I have just looked at the chart again and it has to be a full sibling, not a half-sibling. Curiouser and curiouser. It must be a mistake, surely.

Weird question but is his mum definitely his biological mum?

I know someone whose Dad got someone pregnant but with agreement of the mum, he and his wife moved away and brought the child up as theirs. So who he thought was his sister was his half sister.

How old is your DH? The other option is it's his mum. Obviously if she actually gave birth to him, and that's in no doubt, then the reason I ask about age is could she have used donor eggs? Was this technology available when he would have been conceived? Otherwise could his mother be a surrogate?

The other way you might end up with an apparent closer relationship showing up might be if you had 2 brothers marrying 2 sisters (or similar) - the children from those relationships might have similar enough DNA to be suggested as siblings? Don't know if that would make it as close as you state but would imagine it was possible.

Or if his mum or dad is an identical twin there children could be genetically similar enough to show up as siblings when they were cousins.

I agree though that this won't be an admin error. And it's more likely that this is an unknown child or sibling than any of the possibilities I've suggested above...

Crossed posted with @jackstini

This is also a possibility

Reading with interest.
My dna results showed a different bio father, unfortunately it won't be a mistake. I hope it's too long to uncover the mystery.

3374cM will definitely not be a half sibling. For reference, the family member of mine shares 2038cM with his half sibling.

Which side of the family is the first cousin he matched with? Paternal or maternal? And are they a shared match with the 3374cM match?

As the known first cousin is a match, it is almost impossible for it to be an administrative error.

This is how I found out my dad wasn’t my dad. Ancestry also came up with a person who was 100% my parent or my child. I’ve had no children (I’m female so can be sure!) but thought no way this could be my father. Turns out I was wrong. Thousands of people have made discoveries like this.

It won’t be a mistake, especially if there’s a cousin you recognise. 3374 cms is likely too many to be even a full sibling, but I suppose it is possible. I’ve been through all of how Ancestry does it’s DNA and parent/child is the easiest one to be conclusive about

If it is a sibling is has to be a full one. We’re his parents together young? Could they have had a child adopted before later going on to marry? This chart thinks more range to sibling but I share around 3400 with each of my parents

I am wondering if one of our DDs has done the test and not told us, as it seems the most likely explanation. I have asked them, but they may not have surfaced yet

How old are your DDs? That would be an easy fix for sure. Is it something they’d be likely to do?

It's possible, I suppose. I am just surprised that they did not mention it.

@Tenebrae If it is one of your daughters, they would be a shared match with your husbands first cousin. You can check this by clicking on the first cousin match and then selecting the 'shared matches' tab.

I would take screen shots of everything you can see eg DNA shared, matches etc Just in case this person panics and hides / deletes their information

Did you get any answers op?

Yes, my eldest DD received an Ancestry kit for Christmas and had just had her results back. She was about to tell us when her results flashed up courtesy of the Ancestry site. So, problem solved!!

Phew! Great update.

Yay, that's a good update! Bet that was a weight off your shoulders

Yes, it was!

Did it not show her name when she popped up at the beginning

No, it was a username which I did not recognise, hence the concern....!!