Back in 1998, a jogger named Azita Milanian was hiking with her three dogs when one of her dogs ran off towards something on the trail. Azita, at the time, thought it was a dead animal or creature, it turned out, however, to be a newborn baby that had been buried alive and was barely breathing. Azita miraculously recovered the baby, dialed 911 and contacted child services.
Fast-forward 20 years and Ryan Seacrest is now set to reunite Azita and the baby, who has grownup to become a 20-year-old man named Matthew. After recovering at the hospital, Matthew was adopted and never saw Azita again.
“We have been doing these 23 and Me DNA tests,” Ryan explained on-air today. “There’s nothing more anxious-ridden than not knowing who are you or where you’re from or what you’re about so these DNA tests can tell you that story if you don’t know … so we got the results for a man named Matthew. At the time, we did not know his full story … Matthew — and this is the part that’s going to hurt — Matthew was found by a jogger when he was a newborn baby. Matthew was buried alive … it was along a hiking trail in Altadena. … It was a big story back in 1998. Matthew turns 20 this week. Matthew just recently learned the story of being buried alive as a newborn. Matthew has never met the woman who found and saved him from under the dirt.”
As Ryan explained, we’re going to reunite Azita and Matthew live on-air on Thursday, May 17, thanks to one of Matthew’s friends who submitted him for a 23 and Me kit.
“This also happens to be 20 years from the date that she found him,” producer Patty Rodriguez added, revealing that when we contacted Azita, she couldn’t believe us.
Listen back to the audio above to learn more about Matthew’s story and tune in to On Air With Ryan Seacrest tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. PT for the emotional reveal. Click here to read the original Los Angeles Times report.