Suggestions for a 258 cM match

[Petros]

On Ancestry my wife's closest 3 matches are a 1C, 2C and 1C1R on the paternal side.

These are followed by the mystery 258 cM match and a 207 cM 2C on the maternal side. These two are shared matches.

The 258 cM match was born in 2000 to an unmarried mother. His birth and her family are all in the NW where my wife has no family connections.

The level of the match suggests a 1C1R or a 2C but my wife's maternal line contains few 1Cs. Any suggestions?

[Ruskie]

I wouldn’t think that place of birth or residence is of much relevance, especially in the year 2000.

Have you contacted the match and asked if they know much about their family history, or if they can put you in touch with a relative who does?

Is there a father named on the matches birth certificate?

[Petros]

No father named, and no response from match

[Ruskie]

have you looked at the matches that you and this person have in common?

[Nanna52]

DNA painter might help with relationships.

https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4

I have a first cousin once removed who shares 235 cM with me  (his father is my grandmother’s younger brother), so don’t rule anything out completely.

[JohnDoe2020]

Check with dna painter as suggested. Remember the probability of relations are influenced by generation. Judging from the narrative, I would think you are looking at a "half" relation.

[Petros]

Thanks. My feeling is that it is a half relation. Just not enough DNA data on full relations to try and unpick it.

In part the puzzle is the generation responsible

Mystery match born 2000, my wife's aunt's and uncles born 1936-1951,
The DNA level seems too high for the connection to be via a 2C

[Nanna52]

DNA painter say 61% chance of being 2 nd cousin. 
Don’t be confused by dates.  My great uncle was 13 years younger than my grandmother and fathered children well into his fifties.  My grandfather was the youngest in his family and had brothers and sister in their twenties and was an uncle when born.

[JohnDoe2020]

Good morning. The birth dates are relative to the match from a generational perspective. DNA painter lists a 61% probability for 5 possible relationships, not just 2C. The generation as defined by birth date eliminates some of those possibilities. The chart below the probability table illustrates the potential as defined by probability AND generation.