In their teens, a pair of identical triplets who had not seen each other since birth accidentally crossed paths.

In July 1961, a teenage mother gave birth to identical triplets: Robert Shafran, Edward Galland, and David Kellman.

The trio all have different surnames and were adopted by three separate families, ignorant of each other’s existence or that they were one of three identical triplets until they reached their adolescent years.

A man named Dr. Peter Neubauer had unintentionally included the trio in his research. The study examined the influence of nature vs. nurture on three boys adopted into homes of varying socioeconomic status.

A working-class family adopted David, a middle-class family adopted Edward, and an upper-middle-class family adopted Bobby.

Dr. Neubauer collaborated with the adoption agency to ensure the triplets’ separation and placement in distinct class levels; however, the agency subsequently declared it was unfeasible to adopt all three together.

Dr. Neubauer regularly visited and researched the boys for the first 10 years of their lives, but none of them knew they had two identical siblings.

That was until the boys reached adolescence, when a serendipitous encounter brought them together.

Despite living far apart, Robert and Edward both attended Sullivan Community College.

The couple’s mutual acquaintance recognized their striking resemblance and pieced together their adoption histories.

David saw that the two brothers made news across the United States after their reunion.

Recognizing his resemblance to the two long-lost brothers, he reached out to Edward’s residence and informed his mother that he believed he shared a connection with Edward and Robert.

The triplets eventually realized that their separation was part of an experiment, which is still causing uproar decades later.

Their tale gained popularity in 2018 with the release of the documentary Three Identical Strangers.

One user recently said on Reddit about their tale and the documentary: “I’m a triplet myself and can’t even imagine the mess they were put through.”

“The documentary is so good,” another person said. “It’s heartbreaking and disgusting but a very good watch.”

Another person described the incident as ‘horrific’.

All three of the sons suffered from mental health concerns throughout their lives, with Edward and David spending time in mental health facilities.

Adding to their already tragic narrative, Edward committed suicide in 1995 at the age of 33 after realizing the circumstances surrounding his estrangement from his brothers.

Three Identical Strangers is presently available on Hulu.