American Candice Jackson, 36, (L) and Henry Kevin Jackson, 30, (R) have arrived in the Aegean city of İzmir and are getting ready to file a paternity suit against a local businessman Kasım Pırlant (C), who has considerable investments both in Turkey and the U.S. Pırlant, who started out in 1973 as a lowly waiter in Chicago, later earned enough to purchase a restaurant. He started a real estate business in 1978, which rapidly expanded, growing into a nine shopping-mall empire by 1985.

He came to İzmir in 2005, quickly making a name for himself through his investments. The brother and sister were told by their mother, who died in 1999, that their father had abandoned them and had a merchant shipping company in Greece. They later realized it was not true and started a search for him.

Candice said the last time she had seen her father was when she told him she was hungry and he went out to get something to eat for her. The siblings met with Pırlant twice, they said, adding that he refused to accept that they were legally his children. Candice said they both had children of their own and wanted to introduce them to their grandfather. "We have no monetary concerns. We believe he is our father and want a DNA test done."