Cassandra Madison and Julia Tinetti went viral a few years ago for the story of how they found out they were sisters–and now there is another twist in the story!
The two became best friends after meeting over a decade ago at a restaurant in Connecticut where they both worked. Since then, they have formed a close bond, leading others to believe they could be sisters. As it turns out, they were right.
The pair learned they were both adopted from the Dominican Republic. Madison, now 36, later decided to explore her identity further by taking a 23andMe DNA test to locate some of her biological family members in the Dominican Republic. In 2018, Madison met her biological father, Adriano Luna, and several siblings, People and Fox 61 reported.
Although Tinetti, now 34, had no interest in uncovering her past, Madison convinced her to take the test, leading to a surprising discovery in 2021: the two Dominican American women were biological sisters. Who would have thought these two best friends would turn out to be siblings? Madison shared her story on TikTok, and the news quickly spread and went viral, becoming a heartwarming tale of discovery.
Then, a second DNA test revealed even more about their family history.
The sisters discover they also have a younger brother
After discovering they were biologically related and visiting back home and reuniting with their family and other siblings, Madison and Tinetti learned over the summer, through another DNA test, that Thomas Buonagurio (Madison’s childhood friend) is their biological brother.
“As soon as I saw him [Buonagurio], I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s me with a beard,’ ” Tinetti told People.
“This has been so crazy,” she added. “This whole story has been wild. I didn’t think it could get any crazier.”
Madison and Buonagurio’s friendship dates back to elementary school, and they lived only 15 minutes apart. Buonagurio was also adopted from the Dominican Republic, but according to Madison, “nobody had proof” that they were brother and sister and there was no “paperwork” to prove it, per People.
During her family reunion trip in the Dominican Republic, Madison jokingly told her father that she had found his son. However, Luna quickly affirmed that he and his wife, Juliana, had never put a baby boy up for adoption. Madison dropped the subject, but the possibility of Buonagurio being her brother lingered in her mind, prompting her to investigate further.
Although the pair had initially lost contact, they reconnected through social media when Madison contacted him about taking a DNA test. Buonagurio, 31, agreed, and they discovered they were biological siblings.
How did Buonagurio end up being adopted from the Dominican Republic?
Now that Buonagurio is the last to discover he has biological sisters, the question remains: How did he end up being adopted from the Dominican Republic? According to People, the trio’s father stated that his wife had died in 2015 and that he had no idea the boy existed.
The couple had separated for some time, with Juliana moving out of town. They believe that she may have had the baby boy and later put him up for adoption under a different last name.
‘We still don’t have all the answers,” Tinetti said.
Now that Madison, Tinetti and Buonagurio are siblings, they have new memories to create together. The women are embracing their roles as tías, and they plan to meet their new nephew — Buonagurio’s son — in November.
“I really do feel like everything happens the way that it’s supposed to,” Madison said.
Madison, Tinetti and Buonagurio have six other siblings overall, making it 10 of them.
