"My mother's no felon" Girl, 18, snatched from hospital as a baby defends kidnapper who gave her everything

Kamiyah Mobley was just eight hours old when Gloria Williams, 51, allegedly posed as a nurse and took her from her birth mother Shanara in Jacksonville, Florida, prosecutors said.

Now aged 18, she has grown up her entire life believing she is Alexis Kelli Manigo, and had no idea about her true identity until Williams was arrested in Waleterboro, South Carolina. Police say a DNA test proved Manigo is, in fact, Kamiyah Mobley.The teenager is understandably emotional at the shocking news.

The 51-year-old woman Mobley has been living with, Gloria Williams, was arrested on Friday and charged with kidnapping and interference with custody.
The whole incident began on July 10, 1998, at the University Medical Center in Jacksonville – now known as the UF Health Jacksonville.

Shanara Mobley

Shanara Mobley who was only 16 at that time, had given birth to Kamiyah. Eight hours later, a woman posing as a nurse said the newborn had a fever and needed to be looked at. The woman picked up Kamiyah and left the hospital, never to be seen again. At the time Kamiyah was born, her father was in jail for having sex with a minor (Shanara).

When Williams was taken into custody, the pair shared an emotional goodbye, with Manigo sobbing "Momma" and pushing her fingers through a security window. Later in court, Williams blew a kiss to Manigo who was in the public gallery. The teenager responded by shouting:

"I love you mom!"

In a Facebook post Manigo added:

"My mother raised me with everything I needed and most of all everything I wanted

"The ignorant ones won't understand it. My mother is no felon."

There were no photographs of the child so police produced a composite image. Officers pursed 2,000 leads.

A reward of $250,000 – £200,000 – was also offered while the case featured on TV show America’s Most Wanted.

Mum Shanara later sued the hospital, receiving a £1.23million settlement
On the 10th anniversary of Kamiyah's disappearance, she told how she still made her a birthday cake every year - and put a piece in the freezer in the hope she would one day return.