Identical triplets separated at birth and raised within 100 miles in twisted experiment that was kept secret

A set of identical triplets were separated at birth and brought up within 100 miles of each other as part of a twisted experiment.

Back in July 1961, triplets Robert Shafran, Edward Galland and David Kellman were born to a teenage mother in New York.

But as was often the case back then, the triplets were put up for adoption and were ultimately adopted by three different families, splitting them up.

Unbeknown to them, the triplets' adoption was actually a part of a twisted experiment that was kept a secret for many a year.

The three brothers never knew of each other's existence until a chance encounter when they were in their teens.

Robert and Edward studied at Sullivan Community College, but were unaware they were related. However, questions began to be asked when a mutual friend pointed out an uncanny resemblance between the pair.

And after learning they had both been adopted, the pair put the pieces together and discovered they were brothers.

So, how did David come into the equation?

Edward Galland and Robert Shafran when they first met. (NEON)

Well, Robert and Edward's story made media headlines with their story - something David caught wind of.

David came to the unexpected realization he looked a lot like Robert and Edward, so called the latter's home and spoke to his mother.

The three young men immediately hit it off upon meeting and become inseparable, with it later being proven that Robert, Edward and David were triplets - but their backstory involves a rather controversial experiment.

The study of nature versus nurture conducted by Dr. Peter Neubauer saw Robert, Edward and David being adopted by families of different social classes.

Dr. Neubauer worked with an adoption agency to ensure this took place.

David went to a working-class family, Edward to a middle-class home, while Robert ended up being brought up by an upper-middle-class family.

The identical triplets became inseparable upon meeting. (NEON)

As part of the experiment, Dr. Neubauer visited the three boys every year for the first ten years of their lives to study them.

The catch? He did not inform that he was also visiting their two other identical brothers as well.

While the trio were eventually reunited, this story is certainly a tragic one.

All three of the boys went on to suffer from mental health issues, with both Edward and David having spent time in mental health hospitals.

Tragically, Edward took his own life at the age of 33 in 1995 after struggling with the nature of his separation from his siblings - despite being overjoyed to have been reunited with them.

The triplets' tragic story has since been told in the 2018 documentary Three Identical Strangers.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.