Father reunited with daughter he believed dead for 27 years

A father was reunited with the daughter he thought died 27 years ago after tracking her down through Google.

Dirk Pratt's mother-in-law told him that Francesca had died from a mosquito bite on a visit to Ecuador.

The toddler had been on a supposedly short trip with her mother.

But she never returned, instead growing up in Latin American with her mother's family.

Just six weeks ago after watching the Angelina Jolie movie 'Wanted', Mr Pratt said he was inspired to search his own name on the Internet.

And he was amazed to find a 2007 message from his daughter, which read: 'I am trying to contact Dirk Pratt. I am his daughter.'

After the two swapped message it emerged that Francesca, 30, had been told her father, from Seattle, Washington had died in a diving accident.

'Losing my daughter was one of the most devastating things that I have ever gone through in my entire life," Dirk told Good Morning America.

'I had a hard 27 years as I never did get over it.

'I knew in my heart that that was my daughter, that she was alive and that she was looking for me.

'I am actually still in shock and total amazement over the first phone call we had together.

'Like my daughter I feel like I am in a dream, that I am dreaming, and I just do not want to wake up.

'It has been totally amazing and I have not quite fully recovered form our first conversation.

'In the last 20 years I never imagined I would be sitting next to my daughter now as a full grown woman and get to see how beautiful she is.

'I knew immediately who she was when she got off the plane.

'I went to security and told them my story and I was very surprised that they let me through without a ticket.

'I was right at the plane when she walked off, I was the first thing she saw.

'Francesca has forgiven, me I am not so forgiving.

'I do not have a hatred or anger like I used to for all of these years, but I can't forgive because I missed 27-years of watching my daughter grow and doing the things a father wants to do.

Francesca began looking for her father after her family in Latin America finally told her the truth about her life.

'Inside of me I was always thinking that he was alive,' Francesca told Good Morning America.

'I am so happy to see him again, I can't explain how I am feeling now. I am so happy because I can say to him "I love you daddy."

Francesca had some more good news for her father. She is pregnant with a baby girl.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...ing-Google.html