Georgia cop who was adopted at birth tracks down her biological family and reunites with three brothers who grew up in the city she now works in
- Major Linda Burke, 58, was given up for adoption by her mother in 1961
- She contacted the Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry after moving to Brookehaven, where she now works
- She learned that she had three brothers, the oldest of whom is two years younger than her
- After giving her up, Linda’s mother met and married the brothers’ father
- She has now died but Linda and her brothers Bruce, Daniel and Jeffrey Koshkin are now all in touch
- Bruce and Daniel have both worked as firefighters and one had even been a cop
A Georgia cop who was adopted at birth tracked down her biological family and found three brothers who grew up in the town she polices now.
Maj. Linda Burke, 58, commander of criminal investigations for the Brookhaven Police Department, was given up for adoption in 1961 by her mother who was 19 at the time.
Her mother had traveled from California to Georgia to have her. It is not clear why she gave her up and she has since died.
Maj. Linda Burke, 58, with her brothers Bruce, Daniel and Jeffrey Koshkin, after reuniting earlier this year
Burke remained in Georgia, training to become a police officer, and moved to the town of Brookhaven.
She then contacted the Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry who found her brothers Bruce Koshkin, 56, Daniel Koshkin, 48, and Jeffrey Koskin, 55.
Bruce and Danny had both also worked in public safety.
Their mother married the boys’ father in the same year she gave up Linda.
She then had Bruce, their eldest son, two years after Linda was born and given up for adoption.
According to the brothers, their mother never told any of them or anyone else that they had a half-sister.
Linda said she grew up wondering if she had siblings and that when she found her brothers, she had been going through a ‘really tough time’.
‘Growing up, I always wondered where I belonged, who I belonged to. Now I know,’ she said, fighting tears in an interview with local network WSBTV.
Bruce and Linda the first time they met. Bruce said that the first time he saw her, it was like seeing his mother again
Linda’s mother Jacqueline (right) was 19 and unmarried when she gave her up. She met her sons’ father the same year
While Linda was becoming a police officer, so was one of her brothers (center). Another was a firefighter and they even served in some of the same areas without overlapping
The brothers were equally emotional.
One said he at first thought it was a scam when he received a letter from the adoption agency.
When Burke got in touch with him via text message later, he said he realized she was legitimate.
The first time they met, they had no doubt she was related to them.
‘The moment he met her he started crying, tears welled up in his eyes and he knew immediately.
‘It was like I was looking at mom again,’ Bruce Koshkin said of his brother Danny’s first meeting with their Linda.
He added: ‘I can’t think of a better Christmas gift than my sister…. [it] truly is joyous,’ he added.
Linda and her brothers now have a close bond, she said. They all described finding each other as the best Christmas gift they could ask for