14/07/2025
14/07/2025

FLORIDA, July 14: On the afternoon of July 10, 1998, one of the most shocking abductions in American history took place inside a maternity ward at the University Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida.
Gloria Williams, grieving a recent miscarriage, disguised herself in hospital scrubs and posed as a nurse. She entered the room of 16-year-old Shanara Mobley, who had just given birth to her daughter, Kamiyah. Believing she was speaking with hospital staff, Mobley was unsuspecting—until Williams picked up her newborn and quietly left the facility.
What should have been the happiest day of Shanara Mobley's life quickly became a nightmare. For years, she searched for answers about her missing child. It wasn’t until January 2017, nearly 19 years later, that the mystery unraveled.
Kamiyah had been raised in Walterboro, South Carolina under the name Alexis Kelli Manigo, believing Williams was her mother. She was on the verge of graduating from high school when the truth began to surface—prompted by her own suspicions. When applying for a job, Williams refused to provide her with a birth certificate or Social Security number. Eventually, forged documents and a stolen identity were uncovered, leading to Williams’ arrest after police received an anonymous tip.
Kamiyah, now 27, still refers to Williams as “mom” and sees herself as having “two families.” However, her emotional loyalty and family identity have sparked public debate and personal heartbreak, particularly for her biological parents.
During the 2018 trial, Charles Manigo, who had believed himself to be Kamiyah’s father, testified tearfully. He told ABC News that Williams led him to believe she had given birth while he was away, and they named the baby Alexis Kelly Manigo. He claimed they raised her together until they separated in 2003.
But Kamiyah, then 18, expressed frustration with Manigo, writing on social media: “He did nothing. He didn’t even help with anything for that prom.” She also rejected his claims of financial support, posting, “He likes to bring up a $40 check a week? That’s nothing but $160. My hair bundles cost more than that.”
Kamiyah’s biological mother, Shanara Mobley, now 43, described the devastation of losing her child. Breaking down in court, she said, “I always thought about my baby—every day. I would cry in my car, in bed, while bathing, while playing with her siblings.” She recalled contemplating suicide in the aftermath and stated that “people had to watch me constantly to make sure I was okay.”
The pain deepened when Mobley saw that her daughter still referred to Williams as “mom,” even saving her contact as “mommy” in her phone. “It doesn't heal now. I am still hurting,” she said during the trial. In the courtroom, she cried out, “I am your mother, Kamiyah!”
In a 2018 interview with the Daily Mail, Mobley issued a painful ultimatum: “I shouldn’t have to compete with a kidnapper—she has to pick one of us. Every phone call they share, every Mother’s Day card Kamiyah sends her, it just makes the pain worse. I feel like I’m being rejected for a kidnapper.”
At the time, Kamiyah and her biological mother were estranged. However, by January 2022, their relationship appeared to improve, as shown in an Instagram photo of them smiling together. Kamiyah now uses both her birth name and the name given by Williams on social media.
In September 2021, Kamiyah wrote a heartfelt letter asking the court to reduce Williams’ 18-year prison sentence. “I would like to make it clear that she is my mother,” Kamiyah wrote. “She raised me, and not only provided for my needs, but loved me unconditionally. I am fully aware of how our lives came to be… I love my mother and I wholeheartedly support her. I ask for the court’s grace and mercy, as I need my mother home.”
Despite her plea, Williams’ motion for early release was denied.
Meanwhile, the hospital settled a lawsuit filed by Shanara Mobley for $1.5 million due to the security lapse that allowed the abduction to occur. Mobley, who was only 16 at the time of Kamiyah’s birth, has since raised three more daughters: Shuriah, Shakaria, and Shadawn.
Kamiyah’s father, Craig Aiken, was incarcerated when she was born. He had been convicted of drug offenses and was in a relationship with Mobley when she was 15 and he was 19.
Gloria Williams, who was 33 at the time of the kidnapping, was dealing with personal trauma from an abusive relationship and a recent miscarriage. She pleaded guilty to kidnapping in February 2018 and was sentenced on June 8 of that year to 18 years in prison at Hernando Correctional Institution in Brooksville, Florida. Since then, she has pursued a master’s degree in business administration and completed community service. Her scheduled release date is October 11, 2032.
Kamiyah Mobley’s story remains one of the most emotional and complex child abduction cases in modern U.S. history—a tale of loss, identity, resilience, and reconciliation.