Former Pocatello woman to appear on 20/20 to talk about the search for her birth mom

A Colorado woman’s search to find her birth mother went national and this week, her journey will air on ABC’s “20/20” show.

The woman is Andrea Klug-Napier and she is a former Pocatello resident. Her mother, Beverly Klug, still lives in Pocatello and she tells KIFI/KIDK Andrea’s story about her search for the woman who gave birth to her.

“We never expected a baby,” Klug said. “That was just such a wonderful, wonderful surprise.”

Beverly Klug and her late husband, Joseph Napier, had been trying for a long time to have kids of their own. But after several miscarriages, Klug learned that wouldn’t be possible. So they decided to try adopting.

“We had been on the waiting list for 4 years and it just looked like we were never going to be chosen.”

Time was running out because back then, Idaho law stated if either of the spouses was above the age of 40, they couldn’t adopt. Klug says her husband was one month away from turning 40 when they heard about a little baby in Coeur D’ Alene.

Klug was a professor at Idaho State University’s College of Education at the time. It was the first day of summer school in 1987 when they got the call.

All they knew was it was a baby girl, about 6 1/2 weeks old. They knew she was considered a high-risk adoption but her Apgar scores were good and she was physically healthy.

The couple decided they wated her and so they headed north to meet their new daughter, who was in foster care.

Klug said when they brought her out and put Andrea in her arms, it was truly love at first sight.

“We’ve always felt that Andrea was our gift and our miracle,” she said.

Klug said her foster mother had named her Abby because they didn’t want to call her by “Baby Girl Beach” or have her known as “Jane Doe.”

But once Klug saw her they knew she was an Andrea, which Klug said means “strong, fighting female warrior.”

Baby Andrea now had a home.

But what about her birth parents?

“We didn’t know anything,” Klug said. “We didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t true.”

Klug said all they were told is that Andrea’s birth mother had put down she was 34 years old, 5′ 4″, had brown hair and had said she was supposedly from San Diego. She used a false name, Amy Beach, when she gave birth at the hospital.

“And that’s all we knew,” Klug described.

Her birth mother did spend a little time with her but when nurses went in a few hours after birth for Andrea’s second feeding, the mother had already gone.

Five surrounding states and Canada were searched to locate her birth mom, but they never found her.

Klug said Andrea has always known she was adopted, they didn’t keep it a secret from her. And Klug added they always talked about it and said prayers for her birth parents, so her birth family was always a part of their family.

Klug said around 12 years old, Andrea really started showing some interest in finding out about her birth mom. When she was 15, she asked to go on a family trip to Coeur D’ Alene to see where she was born, so they did.

Then, fast forward to 2015. Andrea is 28 years old at the time. She posts a photo on Facebook, saying she was looking for her birth mother, and to like and share to help her find her.

The post got hundreds of likes and shares and was picked up by several media outlets, including, eventually, “20/20.”

Klug said not only did “20/20” tell Andrea’s story and follow her on her journey, but they also helped her. The show put her on all three genetic testing sites, and took some other steps to help her.

The show wrapped up its filming this March and now the world can see Andrea’s story – and its ending.

Klug said even though she can’t say how it ended, or what the ending is, there is an ending to see.

“What I can tell you is that I just feel blessed all around,” she said.

When asked how she felt about Andrea’s journey to find her birth mother, Klug said she was concerned at first about how many people might just try to claim Andrea, and how the whole process might affect her daughter, but she said she was happy she did because she needed to.

“I’m very happy because I also know that it was so important to her,” Klug said.

According to hospital records, “Amy Beach” claimed to have given birth one other time. So if that’s true, there is a possibility Andrea could have a sibling she’s never met.

To see the ending to Andrea’s journey, Klug said “you’ll just have to watch.”

The story from “20/20” airs locally in Southeast Idaho on Friday night, July 13 at 9 p.m.