try lactaid ice cream. seconds. . good even. thanks for joining us. tonight an emotional investigation to find the mother who left her baby inn a manger. anand wt happens in one jaw-dropping moment when he meetets hisamily 44 years later. here's abc's elizabeth vargas. >> reporter: it could have been mistaken for a christmas miracle. instead, it was a mystery. >> this is where it all began for you. >> that's right. >> reporter: a newborn baby boy wrapped i swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. part of this catholic church's nativity scene 44 years ago. >> i was about 5 days old. >> repter: no clues as to who abandoned him. his mother missing. >> i got a feeling like this might have been where my motother waited and trying to muster the courage to do it. >> reporter: on that silent night, left with only a handful of disposable apers, but left by whom? two prayerful parishioners find him but it falls to katherine allen, a 23-year-old rookie with the houston children's protective service, to rescue the baby in the manger. >> i laid him on my shoulder and he was quiet. >> at christmas in a nativity scene. >> exactly, what could be more dramatic? >> reporter: he would eventually be named d.j. williams. d.j. went from t manger to below the masthead as front-page adline news. but if anybody knew hot mother was, they didn't bear witness. was there a plea for information? >> no one called. no leads to go on. >> what do you think that means? >> i would say she didn't want to be found. >> reporter: d.j. would eventually be adopted and grow with a loving mother, father, and older brother. but he would never stop wondering about his humble beginnings. >> when i would be wking on school projects or filling in family trees, i had to kind of make it up as i went along. >> reporter: today d.j. is a manage at a starbucks inside a grocery store in baltimore, maryland. he lives with his partner, mike, and their 6-year-old camera-shy son, zephyr. they were home watching television last year when they believed their prayers were swered. how'd you hear of pam? >> we had seen her on the "20/20" episode with is phone booth baby. >> it was on this corner, 80th and lumbus, this is the phone booth? >> reporter: it was the episode about louise jones. the woman abandoned as a baby in a new york city phone booth. with investigative genealogist pam slaton on the hunt for the missing mom. >> he felt connected to me. and said to his partner, that's the girl that's going to help me. finally got the full story of where you were found a how you were found? >> i was probably about 15. and i had been helping my grandmother. and she showed me some newspaper clippings. >> repter: we track the reporter of those old articles to hopefully shed some light. >> gary taylor. >> reporter: gary taylor, cub reporter on the evening crime beat in 1971. >> you were discovered about 5:00 p.m. on a wednesday. on friday somebody, one of our photographers, came over to wherever you were and took this set of photos of you. >> looks like me yawning. >> reporte next stop we take d.j. to see bennett greenspan, ceo ofamily tree dna. >> let's go and let's look at your dna. >> there were two people who came up matching his dna very closely. so the questio then became, are these two people related? >> reporter: two dna matches. a man and a woman. and thas when once again pam she figures out the man is d.j.'s uncle and that woman? she is d.j.'s half-sister. >> wow. i mean, that for me was christmas. that was mind-blowing. that it was such a direct dna hit.t. reporter: pam calls r. her name is rose. i said, could you tell me what church your family attended? she said, i know that m mom attended st. anne's. >> st. anne's? >> yes. >> the church where d.j. was left? >> so that was like, wow. >> reporter: pam drives to baltimore where d.j. lives now to dli the stunning news. >> what we found out is that person that matchedou is your uncle. and your half-sister, because we were able to detmine who your birth mother is. are you shocked? >> yeah. >> i would say shocked. >> c.j. is your birth mother. >> oh, wow. i have her smile. >> yes. >> that's crazy. >> reporter: but pam has heartbreaking news about the woman in the photo. >> unfortunately, she passed away. she passed away in 2013. >> reporter:still, this is not the end of d.j.'s journey. because pam has found four half-siblings. the family d.j. has always longed to know. >> i'd honestly given up hope for the longest time. wow. i just can't believe it. that's amazing. >> reporter: and in houston, d.j. williams is all set to meet for the first time in his life blood relatives. three lf-sisters. and a half-brother. >> hi! >> reporter: d.j.'s first hug, rose. >> it's so good to see you. >> hi. >> reporter: authenticatety, robert, and finally kirsten. for the first time since he was left alone, d.j. is in the arms of the biological family he never knew. >> what are you thinking? >> you look like our uncle john. yeah. >> reporter: amid the joy there is tension as well. because d.j.ow has to tell them he was abandoned, left in a manger alone. >> i guess i should start with my story begins in texas. when i was about 5 days old, i was found in the nativity scene of st. anne's catholic church. i think that i was left there because that was the safest place that i could have been left at that time. i was born in december. it was around christmas time. guys. this is the article that ran in "the houston post." i know this is a lot to take in. >> reporter: as for his birth mother, sadly d.j.'s half-siblings, all born later, have no clue why she didid what she did. but d.j. says he can live with that. >> i mean,,or me it was about finding that connection. like you're just floating in this sea and you don't have any anchor to hold on to. and so now i have something to hold on to. and i'm not let going on. i'm elizabeth vargas in new york. up next, how a host of talented actors are recaptureing recent history in "the people versus o.j. simpson." later, barbie's debuting a new look after a major makeover. woman: i'll never remember all the projects, presentations, or meetings i gave up my nights for. 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[plumber] i need to be where the pipes are. so i use quickbooks and run my entire business from the cloud. i keep an eye on sales and expenses from anywhere. eveven down re in the dark i can still see we're having a great month. and celebrate accordingly. i run on quickbooks.that's how i own it. with my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where and if you've hatb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-lilike sytoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. if you're not old enough, let me tell you something. the o.j. simpson trial captivated this country. america seemed transfictioned on a baffling murder. the stunning blond. her husband, the nfl great, on trial for murder, denying it all. on the case and what the actors thought about o.j. then versus now. here's abc's deborah roberts. >> we the jury in the above-entitled action find the defendan orenthal j. simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder -- >> reporter: before that vererdict nearly 100 million watched as o.j. simpson fled police in the two-hour bronco chase. >> i'm peter jennings. let's go to a picture in los angeles -- >> reporter: it felt like a made for tv movie. now it is one. >> got two victims in brentwood -- >> brentwood? nobody gets killed in brentwood. >> reporter: the captivating case with its memorable cast of characters is back in an fx ten-part miniseries, "the people versus o.j. simpson." cuba gooding jr. stars as o.j. simpson. >> this s the hardest role i've done. it took me a good month or so after filming the show to finally get back into my right frame of mind. >> because i told them i had nothin to hide! >> reporter: simpson continues didn't kill his ex-wife, nicole brown simpson, andnd her friend, ron goldman. the miniseries chronicles the nearly nine-month trial. canny simpson attorney robert shapiro portrayed by john travolta, his first television role in decaded. >> what was appealing about this to bring you back to tv? >> the material was powerful. the comments that it was still making about contemporary issues, about the legal system, about the judicial system, about racism. >> reporter: another key player in the courtroom drama, no nonsense prosecutor marcia clark, played by sarah paulson, with that unmistakable curly hair which wouould becomfodder during the trial. >> i too was going what are you doing? why is your hair like that? and the truth is, it was really just not the point. should not have been on my mind at all. >> reporter: who can forget simpson's defense dream team, charismatic johnny cork ran - >> i ain't trying to be respectful, i'm trying to win. >> yes, well, i used to be utah but not criminal. >> reporter: david schwimmer transforms into simpson's close friend robert kardashian. >> why in the hell were you in there alone? >> i don't know, man! >> at that point, nobody really kardashian. >> he's just a regular man whoho suddenly found hielf, one year later, incredibly famous. reporter: uncomfortable with notoriety, kardashian never lived to see the explosive fame his daughters and ex-wife would later enjoy. schwimmer says he spoke with kris jenner, learning things few of us knew about o.j.'s confidant. >> incredibly loyal and compassionate and generous. perhapss the most vuable thing to me was learning that he was a man of deep faith. very religious man. i do think he was conflicted at times. and i think his feelings and beliefs did change in the cou of the trial. "the secret tapes of the o.j. case," kris jenner recalls watching her ex-husband's face as the verdict was announced. > i tnk he was shocked. he was definitely stunned. i mean, you could look at his face and see it, knowing him my sb liar entire life. i know that he was floored that that was the verdict. >> rorter: one of schwimmer's scenes was filmed in the kardashians' former home. >> give me the gun. give me the gun! >> what was that scene like for you? >> one of yourlose friends has a gun to his head, is about to kill himself. what do you do? do everything you can to stop it. >> reporter: simpson flees police with his friend a.c. cowlings behind the wheel. this is the call to police -- >> this is a.c., i have o.j. in the car, he's still alive but he's got a gun to his head. >> when we tell people we were doing a tv series on o.j. simpson they say, "let me tell >> people are stopped alongside the road -- >> do you remember where you were during that bronco chase? >> yeah. watching the knicks game. then they cut into the bronco and the small cornererof the that's o.j. simpson! he's got a gun in his mouth! >> reporter: two hours later, with the nation transfixed -- >> here he is now, the car pulling into the driveway -- >> reporter: simps is back at his brentwood mansion and soon under arrest, charged with murder. >> we do have sufficient evidence to convict him and prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. >> reporter: in an instant, marcia clark is thrust into the blinding limelight. >> she had the courage of her convictions and wanted to go the distance to make sure that this man was put away. and to all of a sudden be thrust on the national stage and have the predominant conversation be about what she looked like. and her manner. and was she feminine enough. was she strident. was she a bitch. >> good morning, ms. clark. i think. >> reporter: the series shows soon becomes a racially charged courtroom drama. >> 70% of whites thought o.j. was guilty. 70% of blacks thought he was innocent. did this film shatter your perceptions one w or another? >> for me the biggest discovery wawas t things that were not submitted to court. the furman tapes. the legal battle behind the scenes. >> reporter: which includes the dream team's strategy. >> mark furman -- >> reporter: pointing fingers at lapd, which has a history of alleged misconduct. ficers accused of planting evidence, mishandling it, and framing simpson. >> did you plant or manufacture any evidence in this case? >> reporter: the actors hear the real explosive audiotapes of detective marark furman spouting racial slurs like this. >> first thing, anything out of a [ bleep ] mouth for the first five or six sentences is a [ bleep ] lie -- perjuring, genocidal racist. >> the bile that this man said about black pele. and i was -- the frustration and anger i felt. you know, having sons -- having two b boys that are now at that age where they have to deal with not just gang violence but policebrutality. it just -- it gets me frustrated and angry. >> sir, out of the car now! >> reporter: the miniseries triggered personal emotions around race and police encounters. >> i'm going to have to cuff you. >> reporter: vance, married to actress angela basset, says he personally relates to his character's stggles. >> how did that impact you as an actor? neighborhood. and it happened to me. the police came to our house and they had heard that somebody was pacing around the neighborhood. i come outside and t they scrm "get on your knees! hands behind my back. a mistake. but the difference is, in life, as what we're seeing nowadays with all these episodes in chicago and the ferguson case, we should not be rehashing this. that's why i think it's so important thatt we're doing this project. >> and more is involved since we agreed to the project. in the last year it seemed to escalate. >> reporter: with the spate of recent cases alleging police brutality, the simpson story may strike a chord with viewers and also prompt the question many are uncomfortable with -- >> did you come away with a stronger opinion about whether he's guilty or innocent? are you convinced in your mind now? >> no. >> what the truth is? >> no, no. i'm not convinced either way. you know, he was found innocent a group of his peers. but my opinions are all over the place now. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm deborah roberts in los angeles. >> "the people versus o.j. simpson: american crime story" up next barbie's massive makeover. these new dol hitting the shelves after a dramatic transformation. e trade is all about seizing opportunity. so i'm going to take this opportunity to go off script. so if i wanna go to jersey and check out shotsy tuccerelli's portfolio, what's it to you? or i'm a scottish mason whose assets are made of stoneike me heart. papa! you're no son of mine! or perhaps it's time to seize the day. don't just see opportunity, seize it! (applause) ya know, viagra helps guys with erectile dysfunction get and keep an erection. talk to your doctor about viagra. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for c chest pai or adempas for pulmonary hypertension. your blood pressure could drop to an unsafe level. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. she's 57 years old, blond, possibly thin, yet oddly curvy. barbie is not just a doll, these a corporate franchise worth $1 billion a year in salales and 92% of young girls have owned one. when barbie gain weight, gets shorter, and changes skin color, it's a very big deal. the blond bombshell of a doll standards for more than five decades is getting a keover. >> this one looks like me and this one looks like my mom. >> reporter: barbie will come in three ne body types. tall, petite, and curvy. as well as seven new complexions. mattel telling abc news barbie's ability to evolvend grow with the times while staying true to her spirit is central to why barbie is the number one fashion doll in the world. many of their customers agree. >> seeing these changes, it really makes me think like, wow, i'm really beautiful. >> and she is beautiful. thanks for watching. tune into gma tomorrow. as always we're online on our good night, america. "the inder" from hollywood, your 24/7 celebrity conversation. i want to be very clear, this is far beyond me, t about diversity and inclusion. >> will is drilled about the oscar race frivolous. >> and those that weren't invited a to hollywood's biggest night. and netflix just force new investigation "the making of a murder case?" >> i t tinin t tatat h h w wnonontnt n nncncgrgrcecessrere,, ssndndg g o o usus