It was almost two years after the kidnapping. Dora and Chester Fronczak had a new home. Dora was pregnant again. Life, they hoped, was finally moving forward.

Then came the call.

“We think we found your child.”

This is The Abandonment—Episode 2 of The Fronczak Files. If you haven’t heard Episode 1 yet, we strongly recommend starting there. This podcast isn’t just a series of events, it’s a story about identity, memory, and the haunting power of unanswered questions.

A Blue Suit. A Black Eye. A Beginning?

In July 1965, a young boy was found outside a department store in Newark, NJ. He was left in a brand-new stroller, wearing a new blue suit. He had no name. No note. No explanation.

He had a black eye and a cold.

He was placed in foster care with a loving family named the Eckerts. They named him Scott. They gave him a home. But even as a toddler, he felt something was missing.

“I would stroke the other kids’ hair and say, ‘Don’t cry.’ I said it to myself, too.”

That little boy was me.

The Eckerts: Love Cut Short

The Eckerts were kind foster parents. They gave me warmth, food, and a sense of belonging—for a while. They baptized me and even gave me a birthday.

But just as I was settling into a life that finally felt safe, the authorities stepped in. New evidence suggested that I might be the Fronczaks’ missing son.

So at age two, I was taken again.

The Eckerts took the time to explain to my new family who I was and what they had missed out on. Though they sent these letters home with me, I didn’t get to read them until much later.

A Return That Didn’t Feel Like Home

Imagine being dropped into a home full of people who say they’re your parents, but you don’t know them. You don’t recognize the smells. The voices. The rules.

It didn’t feel like going home. It felt like being sent away from the only family I’d ever known.

Even then, I knew something was off.

A System That Guessed, Not Knew

There were no DNA tests back then. No reliable forensic tools. The decision to “reunite” me with the Fronczaks was based on guesswork—eyewitness opinions, ear measurements, and a strong desire to believe.

But hope, when misdirected, can hurt more than truth.

“Your Baby’s Been Found”: What It Meant to Dora and Chester

For my parents, the call was a miracle. After nearly two years of silence, the FBI was saying they found their son.

Can you blame them for believing it?

For Chester, it was vindication. For Dora, it was a second chance. But what neither of them realized was that the boy they were getting back had already learned how to live with loss.

What You Told Us

Since Episode 2 dropped, listeners have flooded our inbox and comment threads with reflections that stopped us in our tracks:

“My heart broke for the little boy with the black eye. I never knew that kind of pain could live inside a podcast.”
“What a powerful episode. The contrast between the Eckerts and the return to the Fronczaks was gut-wrenching.”
“I thought I was just listening to a mystery. I didn’t expect to feel so much.”
“The moment Paul said, ‘It didn’t feel like going home,’ I burst into tears. Thank you for telling this story with such honesty.”

Your reactions mean everything. This isn’t just a story about me. It’s about all of us who’ve ever felt displaced, overlooked, or uncertain about where we belong.

Next Up: The DNA Doesn’t Lie

What happens when you question everything you’ve been told?

When you wonder not just where you came from…but who you are?

Episode 3 is where the scientific journey begins. DNA doesn’t care about emotions. But it doesn’t lie, either.

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The Fronczak Files: The Abandonment – A Black Eye & Phone Call