ICYMI: Newborn Kidnapped 18 Years Ago Found Alive, Well

JACKSONVILLE, FL — The 18-year search for Jacksonville’s Kamiyah Mobley has come to an end. Stolen from her mother only hours after her birth by a woman posing as a health care worker, Kamiyah has been found alive and well, living in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced Kamiyah’s discovery during a Friday morning media conference. Although long considered a cold case, Williams said investigators never gave up hope on finding Kamiyah and the person responsible for her kidnapping.

“Even when a case is deemed cold, we’re always looking for new information,” Williams said. “That is what we strive for; justice for our victims no matter how long it takes.”

The quest for justice included more than 2,500 tips since Kamiyah was snatched on July 10, 1998, Williams said. Her abduction from University Medical Center sparked a multi-agency manhunt for the person believed to have been involved. Authorities searched well beyond Jacksonville's borders, but solid leads were elusive.

While the trail went cold, new information bubbled to the surface late last year, Williams said. That information led investigators to Walterboro, where they found a woman who shared Kamiyah’s birthday, living under a different name.

DNA provided by the young woman was confirmed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to be a match for Kamiyah late Thursday evening, Williams said.

Williams is not releasing the name Kamiyah has been living under. He did say “she has a lot to process” but is “taking it as well as she can.”

Kamiyah's biological family was notified of the match Friday morning, Williams said. Victims’ advocates have been assigned to both Kamiyah in South Carolina and her birth family back in Florida, Williams said.

As for the woman accused of taking the hours-old baby back in 1998, she’s been charged with kidnapping and interfering with child custody, Williams said. A booking photo of Gloria Williams, 51, is not yet available. She was brought into custody Friday following a warrant search at her home in South Carolina.

The investigation remains active, Sheriff Williams said. No further information is being released at this time.

Photos courtesy of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office