I have a child in my care that I have raised since she and her mother left the hospital six years ago. The mother moved and was one the run but asked me to raise the child as my own, now she is back and we want to do an official adoption. She says she doesn't know who the father is and there is no name on the birth certificate. Can a man come around years from now and want rights, and will he be entitled to any:?:rolleyes:

Absolutely.

He'd have to get a DNA test to establish paternity, and would have to go to court to establish visitation--and child support.

Just because the mother was not smart enough to get all possible fathers tested for paternity at the time of birth doesn't mean that the biological father loses his rights.

If you want to adopt, I suggest you get a lawyer. You'll need one to wade through finding (or attempting to find) the biological father and terminating his rights before any adoption can go through.