Long-Lost Sisters Reunited Through Facebook

STOCKTON (CBS13) - They were separated years ago, but two sisters never gave up hope of finding one another.

So one sister turned to social media and was finally able to "friend" her sister when she searched for her on Facebook.

All Shannon Herr ever knew of her sister were in baby pictures.

"I thought about it pretty much every day," she said.

She wondered what a little girl with that cute smile must be like now.

"How she's doing in school, is she getting into any kind of trouble?" she wondered. "I didn't want her to think I would abandon her."

So for nearly four years she searched for Katie Baumgarten, first on MySpace and then on Facebook.

A girls senior class photo looked a lot like Katie in her younger years. Katie also spent half her life searching for Shannon.

"I always wondered 'Is she looking for me?" Katie said. "What would it be like if we ever met?"

But without knowing her last name or where she lived, the search seemed endless.

It turns out they lived a lifetime as strangers only an hour apart from each other. Shannon grew up in Woodland and Katie was raised in Stockton, both taken care of by foster families.

Watching them on their third time meeting, it's like they've known each other for years.

"We like to read, write, watch movies, listen to music," Shannon said.

"Walk our dogs," Katie added.

And they don't like the same thing.

"We don't like Justin Bieber," Shannon said with a laugh.

Now that they've found each other, they've promised to be friends forever. Their lives a bit more complete now as they piece together their past and look forward to their future.