Pettway turned herself into FBI officials in Bridgeport, Conn., on Sunday. . Then, in a quest to find some answers, Netty turned to the internet. In fact, many of the other staff members even believed that Ann was a part of the team (despite not being employed by the facility). The defense pointed to Pettway's suffering, including miscarriages and three still births. White's parents sued the city and with the money they won established a trust fund for their daughter in the event of her return. I just always believed that she would find me. But the lack of a birth certificate, Social Security card, or the missing resemblance to Pettway led White to question her identity when she was in her late teens. The woman had been seen around the hospital for three weeks prior to the abduction. White's case is featured in Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2. She then allegedly told an FBI agent she stole White after. She did not believe she would ever be able to be a parent," a court document filed by FBI Special Agent Maria Johnson, who interviewed Pettway, stated. He was last seen at a water park in Wisconsin Dells,. It was wonderful, she didnt even seem like a stranger, she just fit right in, Whites biological grandmother Elizabeth White said. It was wrong.''. Netty--the name she went by--eventually found a paper she thought was her birth certificate, but it turned out to be false. After being unable to shake off a sense that she did not belong to the family that raised her, Carlina White began her own inquiries. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The statute of limitations for the state kidnapping law had expired in New York, but there is no statute of limitations for the federal law on kidnapping. However, several months later, she contacted both of her biological parents individually, having had a bit more time to process the situation; she later publicly stated that the issue over settlement funds was "just a misunderstanding." As documented in the show, White was was kidnapped by Ann Pettway in 1987 when she was 19 days old. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Feb. 10, 2012 -- A woman who snatched an infant from a New York City hospital 24 years ago and raised her as her daughter pleaded guilty today to a federal kidnapping . Joy White and Carl Tyson had brought their newborn daughter to the hospital after she developed an infection and high fever; within a few hours, she was smuggled out of the hospital by Ann Pettway. Before she boarded her plane, she was stopped by a police detective who told her that her DNA results had come back and that Joy White and Carl Tyson were indeed her biological parents. Daniels said that Pettway had a relative contact the authorities through Facebook. (There is always the possibility that the infant was hiding in Anns smock). When national news broke of the reunion, White flew back to New York to do a series of interviews which she felt forced parts of the new relationship that hadnt developed yet. "You didn't take a bike. The indictment against Ann Pettway was. She knew something was wrong but when Netty confronted Ann Pettway, the woman who raised her, Pettway told her that her mother was a crack addict who deserted her and never came back. It wasnt until 2010 that she visited the NCMEC website and expanded her search outside of her home state. Ann Pettway, who pleaded guilty in February to . Heres how it works. She was reunited with her birth parents 23 years after being abducted. For the following 23 years, Carlina White became Nejdra Nance. During the hearing, Pettway apologized, saying "I would like to apologize to the family. Before her verdict, she wrote an apology letter that read: I went to the hospital. Netty said this about the whole ordeal: Im not mad at Ann any more. While on the website of theNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children, she found baby Carlinas photos and realized that they matched her own features. That sounded like a bold request for the biological family of Carlina White. Tyson also went on to talk about all the things he never got to experience with his daughter. [3] A guard said a woman matching the suspect's description left the hospital at 3:30am, and that no infant was visible, although the baby could have been concealed in the heavyset woman's smock. Her biological parents, Joy White and Carl Tyson, said they left the "She was strict, but she was cool. As the stolen infant's real mother wept in the federal court in . Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below First published on July 30, 2012 / 11:27 PM. They told him his daughter was missing while his girlfriend screamed in the background. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of 10 to 12.5 years. A US woman who stole a baby from a New York City hospital in 1987 and raised the child as her own has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Pettway posed a nurse, took the baby from the couple and pretended to take her for treatment. Well, she had on a nurse's uniform that night, and prior to that, she had spent 2-3 weeks in the hospital. Pettway kept repeating, She left you and never came back.. The mysterious nurse from the hospital was Annugetta Ann Pettway of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was the police calling from Joy Whites apartment. It wasn't until White was in high school that she. The couple didn't see their daughter until earlier this month when White's true identity was established. Tyson and Joy White decided that she would stay at the hospital with the baby, but she needed to get some things from home first. Even though the hospital had video cameras, they were not working that night. Pettway, who had experienced several miscarriages, abducted White from a hospital by posing as a nurse. Her parents already did that on her behalf and had long since spent the $750,000 settlement by the time she learned her true identity. Pettway lied and told White that she had been abandoned by a drug addict. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Thank" Ann Pettway faces at least 20 years in prison. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Daniels, with the help of the FBI, arranged a neutral location to meet Pettway. It was the first time an infant had been abducted from a New York hospital, and no one knew how it had happened. So she went to the woman she had called mom her whole life Annugetta "Ann" Pettway. Ms White traced her true mother after finding a photo of herself on the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. All the show tunes! On Jan. 23, 2011, Annugetta Pettway turned herself in to the FBI after a warrant was issued for her arrest. Where Are Carlina Whites Biological Parents Now. In her last interview in 2014, White told the Mirror that she'd forgiven Pettway and was in contact with her. Of all the missing children cases in Episode 6 of Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2, only one has a happy ending: the case of Carlina White, who was eventually reunited with her family. DNA tests last year confirmed her as the daughter of Joy White and Carl Tyson. A woman dressed as a nurse kidnapped Carlina White from the hospital and raised the child as her own. First published on January 21, 2011 / 6:45 PM. According to The Mirror, the ensuing press attention became too much for White. She contacted the agency and finally learned the truth in 2011. White's father, Carl Tyson, expressed his disappointment, saying . In 2010, she noticed that a photo of a missing child in a database looked like her own daughter Samani, according to the Chicago Tribune. Pettway went on the run after the kidnapping and reunion of White with her biological family made headlines, police said. Carlina White grew up believing her name was Nejdra Nance. Though it's been more than 30 years since they last saw their children, however, Dansby and Walker's parents are still holding out hope that they'll be reunited with their sons, bolstered by the story of another Harlem native, Carlina White, who essentially solved her own kidnapping case after 23 years in her abductor's custody. I'm here to right my wrong," she said in court. Thats the main thing just to find out where you come from and who you are.. In the second volume of Netflix's reboot of the classic true crime series Unsolved Mysteries, one episode explores the tragic back-to-back kidnappings . Pettway is on probation because of a conviction for attempted embezzlement. White was separated from her parents from 1987 until 2011, making hers the longest child abduction case to be solved in the Center for Missing and Exploited Children's history, as well as the first in which the kidnapping victim led the reunification efforts, the center's Bob Lowerytold (opens in new tab)theConnecticut Postin 2011. A woman reportedly dressed as a nurse had comforted the parents at the hospital, but was not a hospital employee. Little did these new parents know, however, that this night would be the last time they would see their child for the next 23 years. Still, The Mirror reported that as of 2014, White was in touch with her biological parents as well as the family that raised her. She had swallowed fluid during her delivery and had an infection. Netty's not what the Pettway family gave me or what the White family gave me. Carlina Renae White was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on July 15, 1987. He had just managed to doze off when the phone rang. Pettway finally had to confess to White that she wasnt her biological mother. So how exactly was the mystery solved? Pettway confessed to taking 3-week-old Carlina White from Harlem Hospital's emergency room in 1987. According to her parents, she does not have a relationship with either of them. ABC News' Kaitlyn Folmer contributed to this report. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Angry protests erupt over Greek rail disaster, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists, Fire knocks out half of Argentina's power grid, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. [8], In 1987, New York City Police Department detectives questioned a woman in Baltimore, who witnesses had identified as having been seen in the hospital, without apparent result. 1 of 6 Ann Pettway turned herself in on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011 to authorities in Bridgeport, Conn. Pettway was charged in 1987 kidnapping of Carlina White from Harlem Hospital in New York City. A woman posing as a nurse later revealed to be Ann Pettway took White and raised her as her own child, renaming her Nejdra "Netty" Nance. Carlina keeps in touch with her birth parents, but they are not. NCMEC reached out to Joy White and Carl Tyson through email just before Christmas 2011. "I don't tell [people] my name is Nejdra, and I don't tell them Carlina. One day, Ann confessed that she was not the biological mother. "As we've learned of her involvement in this abduction, we've been working to locate her, and we haven't been able to reach her," Keith Acree, a spokesman for the Department of Correction in North Carolina, told the New York Post. By Andrea Park. However, Pettway claimed that White was abandoned as a child and that she'd taken her in. night with a high fever. Please enter valid email address to continue. In May 2011, public defender Robert Baum said that he met Carlina White during preparations for Ann Pettway's trial and that White agreed to testify on Pettway's behalf. Pettway served her sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution, Aliceville in Alabama until she was released on April 14, 2021. All the dance numbers! She then allegedly told an FBI agent she stole White after. At that point, 23-year-old White started scouring the internet for clues as to her true identity. Even in the beginning of the year, with all the drama and stuff, I was kind of cloudy. The case made headlines internationally and solved a mystery that had baffled police for more than two decades. The security guard stated that a heavyset woman (matching the description the parents had given) did leave around 3:30 am, but she did not have a child with her. If convicted, Pettway faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. "We say listen, the Whites, we're sorry this happened, but at the same time too, have some compassion for our relative," Brian Pettway, a cousin of Ann Pettway, said. Pettway later moved to Atlanta, taking Carlina with her. The center quickly contacted Joy White and Carl Tyson to inform them their long-lost daughter was found. After all, Unsolved Mysteries aims to not only give us well-researched reports on some really chilling cases, but it has also successfully solved some of them with the help of its viewers. White toldNew York (opens in new tab)magazine in 2011 that while Pettway was somewhat distant, she was a responsible caregiver. It's believed that she is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville, Alabama, to complete her term. They rushed her to the hospital, where doctors discovered White had an infection from swallowing fluid during her birth. Soon, details began to emerge that for several months, a strange woman had been seen at the hospital. But they soon came to a dead end, and the case of Carlina Whites kidnapping went cold. In 1987, Pettway told her friends she was pregnant, and a friend later said Pettway left town for a while before returning with a child. North Carolina officials saying they believe she's actively fleeing authorities. The infant even had the same birthmark as White. She has reconnected with her biological parents but admits that she still has love for the woman she called Mom for the first 23 years of her life. Pettway, who had been loitering around the facility for at least a few weeks, if not months, before the abduction, police toldThe New York Times (opens in new tab), had been dressed as a nurse and interacted with White's parents upon their arrival at the hospital. 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"Pettway took the victim from the victim's family and this was totally unacceptable. January 21, 2011 / 6:45 PM Pettway did not enter a plea at her arraignment at the U.S. District Court for Southern New York in Manhattan, where she faced between 20 years and life in prison for kidnapping. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She called the center's hotline in Dec. 2010, encouraged and aided by Pettway's sister, Cassandra Johnson, per theConnecticut Post (opens in new tab). She retreated from family and friends including her newly-discovered biological parents Joy and Carl, with whom she had a complicated relationship. "I'm not going to say she was the best mom ever, but she did what she had to do to make me who I am," she said. And though this reunion brought cathartic closure, White soon struggled to navigate her new life after living while unwittingly trapped in a lie for so many years. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, 419 Likes, 59 Comments - Penelope Ann Miller (@penelopeannmiller) on Instagram: "Happy birthday to my hunky hubby A wonderful daddy and partner in life, love, and adventure. Shockingly, between 2:30 a.m. and 3:55 a.m., someone removed the IV from baby White and abducted her from the hospital. She was declared an absconder Friday and put into a national law enforcement database. She apologized to White's real family during her court appearance, but they weren't exactly in a forgiving mood. Nejdra Nance was very suspicious of who she was and what family raised her, Lieutenant Christopher Zimmerman of the New York Police Department later told ABC News. Pettway was motivated to commit the kidnapping out of a desire for a child after having multiple miscarriages. Paleontologists In North Dakota Just Found The Remains Of A Dinosaur That Was Killed The Day The Asteroid Struck, The Disturbing Disappearance Of 18-Year-Old Zebb Quinn And The Series Of Bizarre Clues Left Behind, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. As part of a plea bargain, prosecutors agreed to recommend to the judge a prison sentence of 10 to 12 years. In another interesting turn of events, Ann turned herself in to the FBI on January 23, 2011. Pettway was convicted of five crimes while Ms White was in her custody, according to a probation department, and had used cocaine from 1983 to 2005. White solved the case herself 23 years later after finding her photo on a website with images of missing children. shocking news that their newborn was gone. Jan. 25, 2011 — -- The family of Ann Pettway, the woman who confessed to kidnapping Carlina White 23 years ago, has asked for compassion following Pettway's arraignment. It's what I gave myself." The revelation was not entirely surprising to White as she had begun to notice that she did not share physical traits with Pettway. ", In court, Carlina White's mother, Joy White, said she cried for days after her child was kidnapped and "wondered if she was being fed, washed and loved.". But no one ever came forward, and the parents had to wait 23 years before gaining some closure. Pettway and White later moved to Atlanta, Georgia. This also included an attempted embezzlement charge from 2010. You took something away from me," Tyson said. 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. A family member worked with authorities to arrange Pettway's surrender. White has not been heard from since late 2011, presumably hoping to give herself and her family as normal a life as possible now that her lifelong mystery has been solved. It wasn't until 2010, when she was 23 and living in Atlanta, that she decided to try expanding her search outside of Connecticut, and found a photo of a baby who had been abducted in 1987 and looked just like her own young daughter on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website. She spent her childhood in Bridgeport, Connecticut, before she and Pettway moved to Atlanta, Georgia. "I'm not really satisfied with the sentence because I figure Ann Pettway should have received 23 years in jail because Ann took 23 from me," Tyson told reporters. [citation needed] An arrest warrant for Ann Pettway was issued by the North Carolina Department of Correction on January 21, 2011, for violating her probation from a conviction for attempted embezzlement. Her daughter Carlina. 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