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Family Reunites Following Story Of Mother, Son Living In Shack Near Jail

(CBS) -- Tuesday night, CBS 2's Brad Edwards profiled a woman and son living in a tiny, smelly rundown shed. Less than 24 hours later, they are reunited with a loved one.

Brad has the follow up that'll warm your heart.

Shirley Bennett, along with her son Timothy, pleaded for help as they lived in a shack in a parking lot near the Cook County Jail. They had been living there for five months and had to use a bucket as a bathroom.

Timothy says that, "It's a living hell."

They were told that they would have to leave.

Bennett's daughter, MaryAnn Ontiveros, saw the story and reunited with her mother, taking Shirley and Timothy back to her Evergreen Park home.

"It's heartbreaking when I saw the report, I just started crying," she said. "I haven't seen my mother in over 25 years and I didn't know where she was."

"I haven't seen her in 25 years and I still love her," Shirley said.

The back-story is long. It was a long ago disagreement that caused the separation. The eldest daughter quarreled with mom and they tried to raise the kids.

That was 25 years ago and now they need to get to a doctor, Shirley Bennett has a potentially has a large cancerous tumor.

MaryAnn saw the story on CBS 2 Tuesday night after leaving the TV on after her favorite show "Person of Interest."

About 90 minutes after the story first aired, Brad received an email from a woman in Oregon who said Shirley is her sister.

"We been searching for her for 50 yrs. HELP HER," it read.

Another sister in Florida named Linda then called and left a message saying, "We have been looking for since 1982 after our mother had passed…and I'm just so thankful that she's alive."

They spoke on the phone Wednesday night.

A slew of sheriff's deputies arrived today, too and marshaled medical help and potential housing.

See more on this extraordinary story here:

Mother, Son Living In Shack Near Jail Plead For Help

Homeless Woman and Daughter Reunited After 25 Years

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