Abduction of Kamiyah Mobley

Kamiyah Mobley was abducted from a Florida hospital on July 10, 1998 when she was only a few hours old. In January 2017 she was found alive in Walterboro, South Carolina. DNA testing proved that she was not the daughter of Gloria Williams, her abductor. She had been raised under the name Alexis Manigo. Her biological mother in Florida, Shanara Mobley, was awarded $1.5 million after settling a lawsuit against the former University Medical Center. She has since had three other children. Abduction: Mobley was born on July 10, 1998, to sixteen-year-old Shanara Mobley. She was abducted hours after birth by a woman impersonating a nurse, reportedly dressed in hospital attire, who entered the room assisted and conversed with the mother and later walked out of the room with Kamiyah in her arms. Employees initially believed that the woman who kidnapped Kamiyah was a member of the Mobley family. Shanara was interviewed later, pleading for the return of her daughter. The abductor was believed to be between 25 and 35 years old and possibly wore a pair of glasses and a wig. She was dressed in a floral blue smock and green scrub pants. It is known that Gloria Williams, about 33 at the time, later forged documents to create a new identity for Mobley. Williams had miscarried a child a week before, which is believed to be her motive for the abduction. Investigation and recovery: News of the kidnapping made national headlines. Because there were no photographs taken of Kamiyah before her abduction, a computer-generated composite of her was created to distribute to the media. Distinctive features, such as Mongolian spots and an umbilical hernia were included in reports. 2,500 leads were pursued in the case. Along with additional media appearances, Shanara Mobley was also interviewed on America's Most Wanted. A DNA sample taken from Mobley after she was born was matched to a swab taken from the potential match. After the match was confirmed, Mobley was described as "in good health but overwhelmed". She had been living in South Carolina under the name Alexis Manigo and had since graduated from high school and had a boyfriend. She had been raised alongside Gloria Williams' two other children. Mobley connected with her father and grandmother over FaceTime and planned to reunite with other biological family members in person. She had never met her biological father, as he was incarcerated at the time of her birth due to the age difference between himself and Shanara when Kamiyah was conceived. He was 19 at the time, while she was 15. Following her arrest, Williams was incarcerated at the Colleton County Detention Center in Walterboro, South Carolina, to await extradition to Florida. She had prior history with law enforcement, having previously been charged with check and welfare fraud. Mobley described Williams as "no felon" and insisted that Williams raised her with "everything she needed". Williams has since been charged with kidnapping and interfering with custody. She pleaded "not guilty" at an arraignment hearing attended by Mobley, and is due to appear again on May 30, 2017.