Kamiyah Mobley was born on July 10, 1998, to sixteen-year-old Shanara Mobley. She was abducted eight 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 was in an abusive relationship and had just miscarried a child a week before, which is believed to be her motive for the abduction.
Investigation and recovery
The news of the kidnapping and her being found made national headlines in 2017. 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. After a series of tips, Mobley was swabbed, and 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 Colleton County 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 for drug possession and delivery and because he was 19 while Shanara was 15 at the time of Kamiyah's conception. Williams was arrested in South Carolina and extradited to Florida, where she was charged with kidnapping and interfering with custody. She had a 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 needed". In February 2018, Williams pleaded guilty to kidnapping. She admitted she acted alone in the 1998 abduction. On June 8, 2018, Gloria Williams was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the kidnapping of Kamiyah Mobley. Kamiyah still communicates with her kidnapper, Gloria Williams, whom she still refers to as her mother. Williams is currently serving her sentence at the Hernando Correctional Institution and is scheduled for release on July 9, 2034.
