• U.S.

Newborn Abducted From Hospital Reunites With Parents 18 Years Later

2 minute read

The Florida newborn abducted from her family in the hospital in July 1998 has reunited with her family after 18 years.

Kamiyah Mobley, who was taken from the hospital when she was just a few hours old, reconnected with her biological parents—father, Craig Aiken and mother, Shanara Mobley—in a 45-minute private reunion on Saturday at the Walterboro Police Department, CBS affiliate WCSC reported.

“First meeting was beautiful, it was wonderful, couldn’t went no better … she was glad to meet us,” Aiken said.

This composite image made available by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Jacksonville, Fla., shows a photo of Kamiyah Mobley, an infant baby girl who was kidnapped by a woman, seen in separate sketches first provided by police in 1998 during the initial search. On Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, Gloria Williams, of Walterboro, S.C., was charged with kidnapping the infant 18 years ago from a hospital in Florida, and interference with custody. (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office via AP)
A photo of Kamiyah Mobley, an infant girl who was kidnapped by a woman, first provided by police in 1998.Jacksonville Sheriff's Office/AP

Mobley was found living in Walterboro, South Carolina living under a false identity apparently created for her following her abduction, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said at a news conference on Friday.

Gloria Williams, the woman suspected to have kidnapped Mobley, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree kidnapping and third-degree interference with custody, prosecutors said. According to reports, Mobley was taken by a woman posing as a healthcare worker; her family believed the woman was a nurse while the hospital thought she as a relative.

Mobley’s family said they were not sure what their next steps will be.

“It’s a feeling that you can’t explain it, it’s hard to put it in words right now it’s hard to deal with this here right now,” Aiken said. “We are just trying to process it, 18 years, it’s going to be hard to make that up.”

 

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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com