A Nebraska toddler spent two years without a legal identity after a paperwork blunder named her “Unakite Thirteen Hotel,” forcing her father into a relentless fight for a birth certificate and recognition by the state.
In November 2022, Caroline Kilburn was born in a house across the Nebraska border in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At birth, her mother – Jason Kilburn’s on and off partner – struggled with addiction and wasn’t fit to care for the child.
Caroline was placed with a Nebraska foster family, according Kilburn, now 50, who at the time had not known he was a dad.
“After I saw pictures of her, I felt like she was mine. So I started the process of getting a DNA test,” Kilburn told 3 News Now.
Once his paternity was confirmed, a juvenile court transferred custody from Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) to Kilburn and terminated the mother’s parental rights.
Unakite Thirteen Hotel
After gaining custody of Caroline, Kilburn discovered the baby had never been issued an official birth certificate – only a certificate of live birth, which is an unofficial document used to begin the process.
On that document, her name was reportedly listed as “Unakite Thirteen Hotel,” which Kilburn later learned was “computer-generated.”
Without a birth certificate, a Social Security Number (SSN) could be assigned to the baby.
“It was one of those situations where I thought there has to be a better answer. But the reality was it became clear that Caroline, Unakite, didn’t have a social security number. Didn’t have a birth certificate and doesn’t have an identity,” said Kilburn’s attorney, Josh Livingston.
“It’s like she’s a ghost,” Kilburn told NBC News of the ordeal. “It’s been very, very taxing.”
But the red tape didn’t end there.
Ineligible for critical services
According to Social Security Administration (SSA), “getting an SSN for your newborn is voluntary, but may be necessary to obtain important services.”
An SSN is required to:
- Open a bank account
- Buy savings bonds
- Get medical coverage
- Apply for government services
This mean that Caroline was ineligible for Medicaid, early intervention programs, or daycare enrollment. She also couldn’t be claimed as a dependent on Kilburn’s taxes.
“I can’t get medical insurance on her. I can’t claim her on my taxes. I can’t even sign her up for daycare because they want a social security number too for insurance purposes,” Kilburn told 3 News Now.
His financial situation made it worse. Kilburn is currently unemployed due to a heart condition, and without public assistance, paying out of pocket for basic care became a burden.
“She was sick. She had a fever and she was throwing up, and I had to weigh my options about what I was going to do,” he told NBC News after receiving a $700 bill from her pediatrician for a checkup. “It really sucks to sit here and watch her suffer when there’s health care out there that I can’t get because of this.”
Unakite gets SSN
In February 2025, Kilburn finally received the SSN for Caroline – issued under the name Unakite, which is still the name tied to official state records. But to Livingston and Kilburn, it’s a long-awaited step forward.
“I am just so relieved that we finally have this part of the puzzle in place,” Kilburn told NBC. “I am absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for myself and Caroline and grateful for the support of each governmental agency that reached out to assist in finally resolving this part of the problem.”
“This is stuff she’s entitled to as any American is,” the proud dad said, adding he’s happy the long battle for the SSN is almost over. “We still have some work ahead of us, but the recent progress is huge and makes future efforts a realistic goal we feel we can achieve moving forward.”
Livingston added, “Getting it under ‘Unakite’ is obviously not the most desirable way to go about it, but having that number under any name at this point is such a victory. There’s mechanisms in place to change names.”
What do you think of this blunder that led to the baby spending the first couple of years of her life as “Unakite Thirteen Hotel?” Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can hear from other!
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