The truth behind the three strangers' identical looks

For research purposes, Robert, Eddy and David were sent to three different families without knowing they had brothers for 21 years.

On his first day at Sullivan Community College in 1980, Robert Shafran felt like everyone knew him. The boys he didn’t know came naturally to pat him on the shoulder and the girls didn’t hesitate to kiss him.

Up in his dorm room, Robert meets Michael Domitz.

“Are you adopted? Is your birthday July 12th?” , Michael immediately asked, eyes full of surprise.

“That’s right,” replied Robert.

The answer surprised Michael even more. Talking more, Robert learned that he was exactly like Eddy Galland , Michael’s old roommate who had transferred to another school. Robert resembles Eddy in details from family background, date of birth to voice, smile, hair.

That very day, Robert drove up to Eddy and quickly realized they were twins. In addition to the way they talk, the couple is also “similar” to their interests in wrestling and movies, body birthmarks and IQ 148. Even the date they first had sex coincided.

The weirdness doesn’t stop here. A few months after the story was published in the local press, a young man named David Kellman studying at Queens University contacted Robert and Eddy. Placed side by side, they are like three drops of water.

The truth behind the three strangers' identical looks
From left: Eddy, David and Robert. (Photo: Cable News Network).

As it turns out, Robert, Eddy and David are triplets. It is difficult to understand when even the adoptive parents do not know anything about the rest, the three young people together investigate and then discover the shocking truth.

In fact, according to the Independent, Robert, Eddy and David were part of the research of Dr. Peter Neubauer, a psychoanalyst at the Manhattan Center for Child Development. To test how their upbringing influences adulthood, three brothers were separated into three completely different families at the age of six months. Specifically, David goes to a working-class family, Eddy to a middle-class family, Robert to an upper-class family.

For 10 years, a group of experts continuously visited Robert, Eddy and David under the direction of Dr. Neubauer. They conduct cognitive tests such as quizzes and drawings. All activities are filmed.

The results showed that the three brothers had behavioral disorders. As children, both Robert, Eddy and David often banged their heads on the bed. Growing up, David and Eddy went to a mental hospital many times while Robert was on probation for his involvement in a murder. “It was definitely separation anxiety ,” David later explained.

Reuniting makes three brothers Robert, Eddy and David overjoyed. They found their biological mother and cooperated to open a restaurant in 1988. However, the happiness did not last. In 1995, Eddy committed suicide at home after struggling with bipolar disorder. The sad event pushed Robert and David away from each other.

The truth behind the three strangers' identical looks
Robert (left) and David today. (Photo: Brian Zak).

Now, Robert is a lawyer and David works in life insurance. At the behest of Dr. Neubauer, who died in 2008, all documents related to the research of these three brothers were not published until 2065. The Manhattan Child Development Center was formerly known as Translation. The Jewish Children and Families Service also apologized to Robert and David.

In early 2018, the documentary film about the life of three brothers Robert, Eddy and David premiered to the audience as Three Strangers alike.