Newborn Taken From Mother in 1998 Found Alive in SC

Kamiyah Mobley was abducted 8 hours after her birth
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 13, 2017 12:45 PM CST
Baby Stolen From Mom Hours After 1998 Birth Found Alive
Original composite and sketches released at the time the kidnapping occurred.   (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office)

An incredible story out of Florida—and, now, South Carolina. Kamiyah Mobley, taken from her mother's Jacksonville hospital room when she was just 8 hours old in 1998, has been found alive and healthy in Walterboro, SC. The Times-Union reports her current identity is being withheld, but it's been revealed she was living with Gloria Williams, 51, who has been charged with kidnapping and interference with custody. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office tweets that a recent tip from @MissingKids got the ball rolling again. They found a woman with the same birth date in Walterboro, and DNA tests clinched it. "We believe the victim may have known she was a kidnapping victim," the JSO tweeted, though News4Jax reports Kamiyah grew up believing Williams to be her birth mother.

The case garnered 2,500 tips over the years, was featured on America's Most Wanted, and had a $250,000 reward attached to it. But there were challenges from the start: No picture had yet been taken of the newborn, so the best police had to go on was a composite sketch. On July 10, 1998, a woman believed by the family to be a nurse told Shanara Mobley that her newborn needed to be checked for a fever and removed the child from the room. Surveillance video proved to be too grainy to lead to a clear identification of the suspect. Times-Union reporter Tessa Duvall tweets that Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams says he does not believe Williams was on the initial suspects list. First Coast News reports Shanara Mobley sued what was then University Medical Center and got a $1.5 million settlement. (More missing child stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X