Girl stolen at birth reunited with family: Dad ‘never gave up hope’

The biological father of a woman who has been tracked down after being stolen as a baby has said he never gave up hope of finding her. The girl, now 18, grew up as Alexis Manigo, but has now learned she was born as Kamiyah Mobley. Miss Mobley met her biological parents on Saturday at a police department in Walterboro, South Carolina, the town where she was located by detectives and subsequently identified through DNA testing. Mr Aiken described his first meeting with his daughter as “beautiful” and “wonderful” and said it could not have gone any better.

For anybody that has lost hope, just keep hope alive. Just keep praying just keep fighting.

Craig Aiken, Miss Mobley’s biological father.

Miss Mobley was taken from a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, just eight hours after being born.The woman who raised her, Gloria Williams, has been arrested and charged with kidnapping her in from a Florida hospital in 1998. Miss Mobley and Williams had an emotional meeting during a hearing on Friday when Williams blew a kiss to the young woman from behind a caged door. A sobbing Miss Mobley then walked up to her, crying “momma” and telling the 51-year-old: “I love you mom.” Miss Mobley then went on Facebook to defend her, saying: “My mother is no felon.”

My mother raised me with everything I needed and most of all everything I wanted. The ignorant ones won’t understand it.

Miss Mobley