The story of Robert and Edward gained widespread media coverage, prompting David to investigate further. After noticing his uncanny resemblance to the twins, David reached out to their mother. The three young men quickly formed a close bond and later discovered that they were actually triplets. However, their past was tainted by a controversial experiment.
Dr. Peter Neubauer’s research on nature versus nurture involved the adoption of Robert, Edward, and David by families from varying social classes. Dr. Neubauer collaborated with an adoption agency to facilitate this process. David was placed with a working-class family, Edward with a middle-class family, and Robert with an upper-middle-class family. Over the course of the experiment, Dr. Neubauer visited the boys annually for the first decade of their lives to observe their development. Interestingly, the boys were unaware that Dr. Neubauer was also studying their two identical brothers. Although the brothers were eventually reunited, the outcome of this study is undeniably tragic.
All three boys experienced mental health challenges, and Edward and David were both hospitalized for their conditions. Sadly, Edward passed away at the age of 33 in 1995, after grappling with the effects of being separated from his brothers, despite being thrilled to have found them again. The heartbreaking tale of the triplets has been recounted in the 2018 film Three Identical Strangers.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
