How a father found his lost daughter after 24 years of search

Chinese national Wang Mingxin's four-year-old daughter went missing without a trace in 1994. Even though 24 years passed, the father never gave up hope of finding her. He roamed the streets looking for his daughter, asked people for help, and even decided to work as a taxi driver. Finally, his long-time dream came true — a DNA test confirmed that his lost daughter had been found.

The girl vanished near a fruit stall

On January 8, 1994, Wang and his wife were selling fruit in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Their four-year-old daughter, Wang Sifen, was playing nearby. The parents lost sight of her for a brief moment, but during that time, the girl disappeared.

They spent the entire day walking the streets, asking people if they had seen their daughter. Forced to return home at one o'clock in the night, the parents could not stop crying.

The next day, they went to the police, asked for information from child protection organizations, published announcements in newspapers, and regularly checked the missing persons database. However, there were no results.

Later, another daughter was born into the family, but the parents did not stop searching for their eldest child. Since Wang did not have a photo of Sifen, he used a picture of his younger daughter to ask people for help on the streets. The two girls looked very much alike.

Asked 17,000 passengers to find his daughter

In 2015, Wang Mingxin started working as a taxi driver on the Didi Chuxing platform in order to increase his chances of finding his daughter. He placed his daughter's photo and a sign asking for information about her on the rear window of his taxi. He also handed out cards with information about Sifen to every passenger.

According to Wang's calculations, over two and a half years, he asked about his daughter from approximately 17,000 passengers.

In 2017, one of the passengers published his story on social media. The event quickly went viral, attracting the attention of national newspapers and television channels. Wang hoped this opportunity would help him find his daughter.

"My biggest dream is that one day my daughter will get into my car and call out, 'Dad!','" he told journalists.

When asked what he would say if he reunited with his daughter, Wang could not hide his tears.

"Forgive me, my daughter. Your father could not fulfill his responsibility as a parent," he said.

A composite sketch on the internet reached his daughter

Wang's story touched millions of Chinese people. Ni Pin, a host on the famous CCTV channel, also decided to help him. She expressed her readiness to sell one of her prized paintings worth about $32,000 and give the money to the person who helped find his daughter. She also invited Wang to the "Waiting For Me" show.

As a result of widespread media coverage, a police composite sketch artist drew what Sifen's probable appearance would be as an adult. This picture, which was shared thousands of times on the internet, also reached Kan Ying, who lives in China's Jilin province.

Upon seeing the picture, the woman was surprised by how much she resembled her. At the beginning of 2018, she contacted Wang. During the conversation, they also discovered unusual similarities, such as a small scar on Kan Ying's forehead and nausea when she cried.

Nevertheless, Wang was afraid of getting his hopes up too high. Previously, the police had reported potential matches several times, but DNA tests had shown negative results every time.

The long-awaited reunion after 24 years

On April 1, 2018 — Fool's Day — Wang Mingxin finally heard the news he had been waiting for 24 years. The DNA test confirmed that Kan Ying was his missing daughter, Wang Sifen. The girl had to travel to Chengdu to reunite with her real family.

"I cannot express in words how much hope, despair, and depression we have experienced over the past 24 years. Now, finally, we can meet again," Wang told the Beijing Youth Daily.

However, it remains unknown how Sifen was separated from her family. According to reports, Kan Ying grew up in a town just 20 kilometers away from her biological parents. There is currently no detailed information about the circumstances under which she was separated from her family.

Wang Mingxin's 24-year search demonstrated the power of a father's love and hope. After so many years of separation, the father and daughter got the chance to live as a family again.