You have a question that only
one investigation can answer.
I find biological parents, identify unknown relatives, and investigate missing parentage combining DNA evidence with twenty years of documentary research. Done entirely for you, with complete discretion, by Gary Skerritt.
There is a gap at the centre of your story. Some people have known their whole lives.
Others discovered it through a DNA test that returned matches they couldn't explain. Some found a document. Some were told, suddenly, by someone who should have said something years ago.
However you arrived here, you are carrying a question that belongs to you. A question about where you came from. About who you are, genetically. About a parent or a family, you have never met.
- You were adopted, and the records you were given tell you almost nothing about your biological family
- You were donor-conceived, and you want to know more about the person whose genetics you carry
- A DNA test returned close matches you don't recognise, and no one in the family can explain them
- You have always known there was something unspoken about your parentage, and you want the truth
- You discovered, as an adult, that the person you believed to be your biological parent was not
- You have been searching on your own for years and reached a wall you cannot get past alone
What I actually do and why it works.
DNA alone rarely tells you who, when, or why. The answers live in the intersection of genetic evidence and documentary records. This combination, which few researchers offer, is what makes the difference between a wall and an answer.
Match analysis and centimorgan mapping
I review your full match list and identify the most significant connections by shared DNA amount, segment data, and shared matches. I build a map of how your matches relate to each other even before we know who they are. This is the foundation every subsequent step is built on.
Shared match clustering
I group your DNA matches by how they relate to each other, identifying distinct family clusters. Each cluster points toward a different branch of your biological family and often toward a specific generation, region, or family name. This turns a confusing list of names into a navigable map.
Documentary corroboration
Every DNA lead is followed into the documentary record. I search civil registration records, census returns, parish registers, military files, and specialist archives to build a paper trail that confirms or complicates, what the DNA suggests. Genetic and documentary evidence must agree before I draw any conclusion.
Case building and plain-language reporting
I construct and test a hypothesis until the evidence points clearly. You receive a complete written report in plain language not genealogy jargon, with every piece of evidence cited and explained. Then we speak. There is no moment where you discover something significant without me there to walk you through it.
Your investigation ends with something permanent.
Not a printout of your raw DNA data. A fully investigated, carefully written account of what the evidence found, what it means, and what it tells you about the family line you did not previously know.
- A full DNA match analysis with centimorgan mapping, every significant connection identified and placed
- A documented family tree for the biological line uncovered during the investigation
- A complete evidential summary: every record consulted, cited, and explained in plain language
- A narrative account of the investigation, the story of what was found and how
- Anonymised details for any living individuals identified (privacy protected as standard)
- A personal follow-up call with Gary to walk you through the findings and answer every question
If the investigation identifies a living biological relative, I will not initiate contact on your behalf without your explicit instruction. I will advise you carefully on how to proceed, including the possibility that the person may not know about you, or may not be ready to hear from you. Every step taken from that point is entirely at your direction, at your pace.
A note on living individuals.
Gary Skerritt · Meet Your PastNot sure if this is the right service for your situation? The free call is exactly what it is for.
Book a Free 30-Minute CallEvery investigation is fixed-price. No hourly rates.
No surprise invoices. You see the exact cost confirmed in writing before any payment is made. Every other genealogist in the region either hides their pricing or charges by the hour. I don't, because transparency is the right way to work.
DNA Match Analysis and Report
From £449
For cases where you have existing DNA results and need them properly interpreted. I analyse your full match list, identify close matches that need investigating, and produce a clear written report.
- Full DNA match list review
- Centimorgan mapping of all significant matches
- Shared match clustering and analysis
- Written report in plain language
- Personal follow-up call with Gary
Full Unknown Parent Investigation
From £599
The complete investigation. DNA analysis combined with full documentary research to build the complete evidential picture and identify, as fully as the records allow, who your biological parent was.
- Everything in DNA Match Analysis
- Full documentary corroboration across civil registration, census and parish records
- Biological family line researched and documented
- Complete evidential report with full source trail
- Personal walk-through call at delivery
Unknown Parent + Full Roots Investigation
From £999
Both questions answered: who was my biological parent, and what is the complete story of both family lines? Combines the full unknown parent investigation with complete family history research.
- Full Unknown Parent Investigation
- All family lines researched
- Complete Heritage Report
- Framed family tree available as add-on
Not sure which is right for your situation? Book a free 30-minute call and I will tell you honestly what your case needs, including whether this is the right service for where you are.
Four steps. You tell me what you know. I do everything else.
You don't need to know anything about centimorgans, DNA platforms, or documentary archives to begin. You need the question, and a willingness to hear whatever the answer turns out to be.
Free 30-minute call Free · no obligation
We talk. You tell me what you know however little and what you are hoping to find. I tell you honestly what I think is possible, what the investigation would involve, and whether this is the right service for your situation. No commitment. No pressure.
Scope agreement
If we decide to proceed, I send a simple written brief confirming exactly what I will investigate, what you will receive, the fixed price, and the expected timeline. You confirm, pay a 50% deposit, and the investigation begins.
The investigation
I research. You wait. I contact you when I find something significant, or at agreed milestones throughout. You are never left wondering what is happening. Most investigations take six to twelve weeks, depending on the complexity of the match pool and the availability of supporting records.
Delivery and follow-up call
You receive your complete written report. Then we speak. I walk you through the findings in full, explain every piece of evidence, answer every question, and give you the space to take in what you've learned. There is no moment where you discover something significant without me there to talk you through it.
Why this investigation requires someone who has done it themselves.
I have been researching my own family's history for twenty years through the Irish records gap, through the surprises that emerge from DNA results, through discoveries that changed what I understood about where I came from. That is not a sales line. It is the reason I understand what this investigation means to the people who commission it.
Experience
Twenty years of personal research across UK, Irish, and European records. I combine DNA interpretation with documentary corroboration, a combination few regional researchers offer.
Confidentiality
Everything you tell me and everything I discover remains entirely private. I discuss cases with no one. You are the only person who decides what is done with the findings.
Pricing
Fixed prices, confirmed in writing before any payment is made. No hourly rates. No ambiguity. Every other genealogist in the region either hides their pricing or charges by the hour.
How I work
I take a small number of cases at any one time. Every investigation receives my full personal attention, not an assistant, not a database search. Mine. This is what the price reflects.
"Whatever the truth turns out to be, no judgement, no assumptions, no pressure on what to do with it. This is your investigation. These are your findings. I am here to help you understand them."
Everything you need to know before booking.
Click any question to read the full answer.
Yes. Most investigations begin with very little, often just a name, a rough date, or a county of birth. DNA analysis can progress an investigation even when documentary records are sparse or missing entirely. The free consultation call is the right place to discuss what you have and what is possible from that starting point.
Yes. DNA testing has transformed what is possible in adoptee and unknown parent investigations. Using shared match clustering, centimorgan analysis, and cross-referencing against documentary records, it is often possible to identify or strongly indicate a biological parent even without a direct match. The success rate depends on the size of your match pool and the availability of supporting records, both of which I assess during the free consultation.
I never initiate contact with a living individual on your behalf without your explicit instruction. If the investigation identifies a biological relative, I advise you carefully on how to proceed, including the possibility that the person may not know about you, or may not be ready to be found. Every step taken from that point is entirely at your direction. The investigation itself causes no disruption to anyone.
Completely. Everything you tell me and everything I discover, remains entirely private. I never discuss cases with third parties, never share information beyond what you ask me to share. This is your investigation, and you are the only person who decides what is done with the findings.
Most investigations take six to twelve weeks, depending on the complexity of the DNA match pool, the availability of documentary records, and the depth of research required. I provide progress updates at agreed milestones, so you are never left wondering what is happening. I will give you an honest timeline estimate on the free consultation call.
No. If you have not yet tested, I will advise you on the right platform for your situation, which test gives the best UK and Irish match pool for an unknown parent investigation. If you have already tested, I work with results from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, FTDNA, and LivingDNA.
In over twenty years of research I have never found nothing. I may not always find what a client hoped for, a direct identification is not always possible, depending on the match pool. But I always find something, and occasionally what I find changes everything. I will tell you honestly at the free call what I think is achievable in your specific situation.
Yes. Unknown parent investigations are conducted entirely remotely. I access DNA platforms and documentary archives online and work with clients across the UK and internationally. Geography is no barrier to this investigation.
Your question deserves a proper answer. You have been carrying it long enough.
The first step is a conversation, thirty minutes, no commitment, entirely private. Tell me what you know and what you are hoping to find. I will tell you honestly what I think is possible, what the investigation would involve, and whether this is the right service for your situation.
There is nothing to prepare. You don't need to have done any research. You just need to make the call.