Newborn who was abandoned at airport, and later became Miss Nevada, finally finds her biological mom in her 40s

In search of her biological mother, a woman received the most awaited response of her life.

“Most people’s life began the day they were born. Mine began the day I was found,” said Elizabeth Muto.

Elizabeth lived her life without knowing who her true parents were, and always wondered why they gave up on her and left her at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada four decades ago.

And now, working as a beauty pageant consultant, she often goes through the airport, which never stops reminding her how she was found alone on top of a counter back in the year 1980.

“This is where my life begins,” she said in an interview for Inside Edition while standing in front of a Delta Airlines gate.

Thankfully, she was quickly adopted by a couple named Tom and Katherine Muto.

From the first moment Katherine saw little Elizabeth, she knew that she was meant to become part of the family.

“I just knew,” Katherine said. “I knew when I saw her, she’d be my baby forever. That’s the one God chose for me.”

Elizabeth’s new parents gave her an amazing life and helped her reach for the stars.

She got her degree at the University of Nevada, and by 24 years of age, she became the first Black Miss Nevada.

“I’ve been Nevada’s own since I was 10 days old,” Elizabeth said after winning the 2004 title, as per Deseret News. “Since then, the people of Nevada have loved and supported me,” she added.

Elizabeth now has three children of her own and lives a beautiful life.

And yet, she never stopped asking herself what happened to her biological parents.

During the Covid lockdown, she started ambitiously searching for her true parents by going through the ancestry database on a site called 23&Me. There, she was able to locate a second cousin, who then gave her the names of five women who could either be her biological aunt or her biological mother.

Shortly after, each of those five women received mails from Elizabeth, saying:

“I pray this finds you well and healthy. I’ve been waiting 40 years to reach out to you… Are you my biological mother? Or my biological aunt?”

She eventually received a message from her actual mother after 41 years of living in the unknown. 

“It was overwhelming to me,” Elizabeth said. “She was kind. She was accepting. She answered all my questions… She said she wasn’t able to give me the life I deserved.”

She was also incredibly surprised when she found out that her mother’s roommate was supposed to drop her off at an adoption agency, but decided to leave her at the airport instead.

Finally, Elizabeth was able to meet her true mother in real life. 

“A lot of prayer, but in the end, I did find my biological mother. I count my blessings every day.”

Check out Inside Edition’s report on the story by clicking below.

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