I just always believed that she would find me. "It was wrong," Pettway told the judge when she entered her guilty plea today in a New York courtroom. It was magic.. Give her 23 years," Carl Tyson, Carlina White's father, said after the court proceedings. "We say listen, the Whites . National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, U.S. District Court for Southern New York, Federal Correctional Institution, Aliceville, "Woman kidnapped in 1987 reunites with NY family", "Police hunt woman who raised kidnapped child", "20-day-old infant with a fever is abducted from Harlem Hospital", "FBI hunts woman who kidnapped baby as victim, 23, begins life with parents", "US woman reunited with family after solving own baby-snatch", "Police Go to Baltimore To Interview Suspect", "Carlina White Update: Ann Pettway Declared Probation Absconder, Sought by Authorities", "Arrest warrant issued for Ann Pettway, woman accused of kidnapping Carlina White from NY hospital", "Suspect in 1987 kidnapping surrenders to police", "Ann Pettway's Confession About Kidnapping Carlina White", "Federal Grand Jury Indicts Bridgeport Woman For 1987 Kidnapping", Ann Pettway pleads guilty to baby kidnapping charges, "Ann Pettway Gets 12 Years For Snatching Baby From Harlem Hospital In 1987", "The snatched girl who solved her own case: Netty Nance was raised by her KIDNAPPER for 23 years", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kidnapping_of_Carlina_White&oldid=1134061422, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Desire for a child after multiple miscarriages, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 20:54. discovered her birth certificate was fake, Pettway was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Before her verdict, she wrote an apology letter that read: I went to the hospital. Daniels said that the Pettway family is well known in the area and that his own sister had been friends with Pettway. Ann Pettway abducted baby Carlina White from Harlem Hospital on August 4, 1987, and raised the child as her own. She claimed that White was abandoned by her mother at birth. According to The Mirror, the ensuing press attention became too much for White. WCBS 880's Irene Cornell With More On The Story. 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). He said his birthday is Oct. 18, 2004, which matches Timmothy's date of birth. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Pettway is on probation because of a conviction for attempted embezzlement. NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Ann Pettway, the woman believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of Carlina White, who at 19-days-old was abducted from a New York hospital and then was finally reunited with her biological family twenty-three years later, has been declared a probation absconder. Timmothy, from Aurora, Illinois, would be 14 years old now. Netty said this about the whole ordeal: Im not mad at Ann any more. According to ABC News, Pettway initially went on the run after White's story made the news, but she eventually surrendered to police. In this article, we take a look at a woman who kidnapped a child only 19 days after her birth. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He had just managed to doze off when the phone rang. Netty--the name she went by--eventually found a paper she thought was her birth certificate, but it turned out to be false. Netflix owes us answers after that ending. Carlina White grew up believing her name was Nejdra Nance. Carlina White said she became skeptical of her past after Pettway could never provide her with a birth certificate. Add to this the fact that Netty had noted that she looked different than most in her family, and suspicions were at an all-time high. Her daughter Carlina. Pettway finally had to confess to White that she wasnt her biological mother. On Aug. 4, 1987, Joy White and Carl Tyson rushed their newborn daughter, Carlina White, to the hospital due to a fever. In her plea agreement, Pettway told the court how she had caught a train from her home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to New York, where she snatched the 19-day-old from Harlem Hospital, after the baby was brought there with a fever by her parents. But no one ever came forward, and the parents had to wait 23 years before gaining some closure. Though White was already somewhat suspicious of the fact that she seemingly bore no physical resemblance to Pettway, the first real red flag appeared in 2005, when White got pregnant and asked Pettway for her birth certificate so she could obtain health insurance. The hospital had video surveillance, but at the time it was not working. [13] On February 17, 2011, a federal grand jury indicted Pettway on the kidnapping charge. White was discovered missing early in the morning of Aug. 4, and a security guard reported having seen a woman matching Pettway's description leaving the hospital around 3:30 a.m. Pettway raised White as Nejdra Nance, nicknamed Netty, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with the help of her own mother. 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. 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. Carlina White's real mother, Joy White and her father Carl Tyson describe their feelings about Ann Pettway. night with a high fever. As documented in the show, White was was kidnapped by Ann Pettway in 1987 when she was 19 days old. They told him his daughter was missing while his girlfriend screamed in the background. Carlina White Was Abducted As A Baby Then Solved Her Own Kidnapping 23 Years Later. [4][5] The baby had been receiving intravenous antibiotics when, between 2:30am and 3:55am, someone removed the IV line and abducted her. As part of her plea bargain, prosecutors originally recommended a sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison. [12] She had driven from North Carolina to Connecticut to arrange care for her biological son. Pettway turned herself into FBI officials in Bridgeport, Conn., on Sunday. Heres how it works. Joy White (Sherri Shepherd) confronts Ann Pettway (Aunjanue Ellis), the woman who kidnapped her baby girl and raised her as her own, in this scene from Abduc. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Carlina Renae White was raised as Nejdra "Netty" Nance by Annugetta "Ann" Pettway in Bridgeport, Connecticut, just 45 miles from where her parents had lived. She recalled, The mom had that mother instinct. Plus, flyers with her photos and information had been circulated nationwide. White nonetheless searched for her biological parents for several years, eventually finding a photo on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website that looked like her own daughter. Carlina White's father, Carl Tyson, insinuated the punishment was too lenient and felt as though Pettway should receive prison time equivalent to the years his daughter was kept away from him. She "looked like the world was lifted off her shoulders looked a bit relieved because she had been running," Daniels said. If convicted, Pettway faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. "[1], In 2014, White spoke at the Crimes Against Children Conference, the leading national training event for law enforcement professionals working to combat child victimization. However, Pettway claimed that White was abandoned as a child and that she'd taken her in. In 2012, Ann pleaded guilty to federal charges of kidnapping. 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 . Upon being reunited with her biological parents, Carlina White's attorney advised her to ask them about the cash settlement from the hospital. As reported by New York magazine, Tyson dropped his girlfriend at her house and returned home to try to get some sleep. She is being held without bail. (opens in new tab)The boys were abducted from the same Harlem playground just three months apart in 1989, when they were 2 years old and 19 months old, respectively. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children helped reunite White with her biological mother. White solved the case herself 23 years later after finding her photo on a website with images of missing children. Later that evening, in a state of shock, White confronted Pettway, who broke down and confessed that she was not White's biological mother. Joy White and Carl Tyson spent the next 23 years wondering what had happened to their daughter. Pettway and White later moved to Atlanta, Georgia. He said that she was relieved to confess. I took a child. It may be rejected, but I am deeply sorry for what I've done. Upon discovering her kidnapping and her biological parents, she kept her legal name as Carlina White. After comparing baby photos of "Nejdra" to Carlina's, and with White sporting the same birthmark on her arm as baby Carlina, the NYPD contacted Joy and Carl for DNA samples. She pleaded guilty in February to kidnapping the three-week-old Ms White from hospital. She apologized for her crime at her sentencing hearing in 2012, when her lawyers reportedly argued that she "was motivated not by greed or desire to do harm, but by a desperate desire for a child, combined with depression and grief over her failed pregnancies and significant mental illness.". In 2005, White became pregnant. [6], The case was the first known infant abduction from a New York hospital.[7]. 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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. [14], On February 10, 2012, Pettway pleaded guilty to a federal kidnapping charge. In another interesting turn of events, Ann turned herself in to the FBI on January 23, 2011. During the hearing, Pettway apologized, saying "I would like to apologize to the family. She retreated from family and friends including her newly-discovered biological parents Joy and Carl, with whom she had a complicated relationship. 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). Though White didn't appear at Pettway's trial, her birth parents gave emotional testimonies at the sentencing. 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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. She "looked like the world was lifted off her shoulders looked a bit relieved because she had been running," Lt. David Daniels of the Bridgeport Police Department said. The parents spared no effort in trying to locate their child. In his, Carl told Pettway, "What you should get is 23 years, what you took away from me," while Joy said, "I'm broken into a million pieces." "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. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 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. Instead, Ann had experienced several miscarriages and failed pregnancies, and it was the stress of not knowing whether shed ever become a mother again that led her to kidnap baby Carlina. hospital to rest after their baby was admitted in the middle of the White was portrayed by Keke Palmer in the Lifetime film Abducted: The Carlina White Story. She then allegedly told an FBI agent she stole White after. The defense pointed to Pettway's suffering, including miscarriages and three still births. Police began a thorough investigation, and for a while they thought they had a suspect. According to The New York Times, Pettway explained that she kidnapped White after suffering several miscarriages in an attempt to fill the emptiness they left behind. 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Leonardo DiCaprio keeps it low-key as he leaves a friend's birthday party wearing face . To secure medical assistance from the state, she had to provide her original birth certificate. [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. This was when Netty was pregnant and needed health insurance. [19] As of 2014, she continues to have a relationship with her biological parents.[19][20]. It wasn't until White was in high school that she discovered her birth certificate was fake and confronted Pettway about it, per New York Magazine. The center quickly contacted Joy White and Carl Tyson to inform them their long-lost daughter was found. Her release date is set for April 14, 2021, and she's reportedly been moved to a New York program to facilitate reentry into the world. She contacted the agency and finally learned the truth in 2011. In 2005, when White was pregnant with her daughter, she requested Pettway obtain her birth certificate so she could get health insurance. Ann Pettway, 51, had pleaded guilty to kidnapping in February and offered details of the 1987 kidnapping. "I'm pissed. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Even the kidnappers brother was unaware that Netty was not Anns biological child. White ultimately discovered that she had been kidnapped as a baby by searching missing children web sites, and earlier this year was finally reunited with her real family. "Pettway was dealing with the stress of trying to be a mom and had had several miscarriages. Though the hospital had a surveillance system, it was not working at the time of the abduction, and there were few potential witnesses. "She's concerned about the impact this has on all the members of her family, but she is trusting that all the true facts will come out and when they do, she will be looked at in a very different light," Baum said. It was the police calling from Joy Whites apartment. Pettway, who had experienced several miscarriages, abducted White from a hospital by posing as a nurse. Nevertheless, the family continued to try to build a relationship, and White flew to New York to meet them for the first time. I can take your bike and give it back to you the next day, you are okay, but not a child," Shannon Tyson, the uncle of Carlina White, told the Associated Press. A family member worked with authorities to arrange Pettway's surrender. Thank" Since Netty needed to get health insurance, she needed her birth certificate. On Jan. 23, 2011, Annugetta Pettway turned herself in to the FBI after a warrant was issued for her arrest. She called the center's hotline and was able to contact her birth family. Even though the hospital had video cameras, they were not working that night. The mysterious nurse from the hospital was Annugetta Ann Pettway of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her skin was much lighter than Pettways, and though relatives often called her little Ann, she didnt see a physical resemblance at all. Read about our approach to external linking. ", 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon With More On The Story. Pettway acquired a forged Connecticut birth certificate, which White attempted to use as proof of identity so she could obtain the health insurance, but the officials told her the document was forged. Please enter valid email address to continue. Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Dianas Boyfriend on Season 5 of The Crown. "She was strict, but she was cool. 2023 BBC. Carlina Renae White was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on July 15, 1987. North Carolina officials saying they believe she's actively fleeing authorities. She began to think about Pettway, who at the time was on the run from the FBI. Marie Claire is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. She passed herself off as a nurse, and even the other nurses belived her. "If I had all that anger in me it would be me who would suffer and it would stop me from living.". Pettway offered an emotional apology in court, saying it was understandable if the family didn't accept it. Pettway, the woman who White called Mom while growing up, has several aliases as well as a criminal history that includes charges of embezzlement, forgery, theft and drugs. Shockingly, between 2:30 a.m. and 3:55 a.m., someone removed the IV from baby White and abducted her from the hospital. White asked Pettway for the document, but she couldnt provide it. 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. As documented in Unsolved Mysteries, White was abducted from a New York hospital in 1987 when she was just 19 days old. I'm here to right my wrong," she said in court. 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. A woman reportedly dressed as a nurse had comforted the parents at the hospital, but was not a hospital employee. As Carlina grew older she began to wonder why she did not look like the rest of her family. The kidnapping charge with authorities to arrange Pettway 's suffering, including miscarriages three! 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