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. So she went to the woman she had called mom her whole life Annugetta "Ann" Pettway. "Pettway took the victim from the victim's family and this was totally unacceptable. Please enter valid email address to continue. "I went to the hospital," said Pettway. However, the prosecution pointed out that Ann had been convicted of a number of crimes while she was raising the child. The lack of a birth certificate was one of the things that made Carlina White suspicious that something was not right. You took somebody's child, so this ain't no remorse. When Joy White and Carl Tyson came with their daughter, Carlina, to get her fever checked, Ann even consoled them. Pettway was motivated to commit the kidnapping out of a desire for a child after having multiple miscarriages. Rajasthan News: . Her mother picked her up at the airport, and she was welcomed by her extended family with open arms. The case made headlines internationally and solved a mystery that had baffled police for more than two decades. Authorities checked her DNA against her birth parents and realized she was their missing daughter. So how exactly was the mystery solved? Pettway told federal investigators that she kidnapped White after enduring several miscarriages because of the stress over whether "she would ever be able to be a parent." I just always believed that she would find me. If they don't accept it, it's understandable. Carlina keeps in touch with her birth parents, but they are not. Pettway confessed to taking 3-week-old Carlina White from Harlem Hospital's emergency room in 1987. (Craig Warga/New York Daily News) A mother faced her baby's kidnapper in a New York courtroom Monday, and it was clear that the wound she suffered when the woman stole her infant from Harlem. Carlina White's real mother, Joy White and her father Carl Tyson describe their feelings about Ann Pettway. A North Carolina woman accused of snatching a newborn from a New York hospital more than two decades ago has been indicted on a kidnapping charge. 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. White was raised as Nejdra Nance. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Well, she had on a nurse's uniform that night, and prior to that, she had spent 2-3 weeks in the hospital. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "If I had all that anger in me it would be me who would suffer and it would stop me from living.". Joy White told reporters afterwards that Pettway should serve 23 years in jail, one for every year she had been separated from her daughter. Carlina White said she became skeptical of her past after Pettway could never provide her with a birth certificate. Soon, details began to emerge that for several months, a strange woman had been seen at the hospital. Pettway's attorney, Robert Baum, plans to obtain her hospital records and review her medical history. "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. 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. Daniels, with the help of the FBI, arranged a neutral location to meet Pettway. Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, TikTok Star Bel Priestley Teases Boundary-Breaking 'Heartstopper' S2, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Carlina White/FacebookCarlina White was reunited with her birth parents in 2011. The center quickly contacted Joy White and Carl Tyson to inform them their long-lost daughter was found. She pleaded guilty in February to kidnapping the three-week-old Ms White from hospital. 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. [6], The case was the first known infant abduction from a New York hospital.[7]. Visit our corporate site. [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. Friends and family assumed shed gone elsewhere to give birth to the baby, presumed to be the daughter of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Robert Nance. Leonardo DiCaprio keeps it low-key as he leaves a friend's birthday party wearing face . She then reached out to the organization, which put her in touch with her birth parents. "I don't tell [people] my name is Nejdra, and I don't tell them Carlina. Netty--the name she went by--eventually found a paper she thought was her birth certificate, but it turned out to be false. She claimed that White was abandoned by her mother at birth. They rushed her to the hospital, where doctors discovered White had an infection from swallowing fluid during her birth. 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. The revelation was not entirely surprising to White as she had begun to notice that she did not share physical traits with Pettway. Joy White said she remembered Pettway, posing as a nurse, consoling her before picking up the baby and waking away. After White pressed her about it for several days, Pettway finally gave her the birth certificate but when White tried to submit it, officials said it was a forgery. Tyson also went on to talk about all the things he never got to experience with his daughter. Netflix has, thankfully, rebooted a show that we could never get enough of in the first place, and were sure the same is the case with true-crime buffs. According to ABC News, Pettway initially went on the run after White's story made the news, but she eventually surrendered to police. They told him his daughter was missing while his girlfriend screamed in the background. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Pettway, who had experienced several miscarriages, abducted White from a hospital by posing as a nurse. 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. 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. Pettway offered an emotional apology in court, saying it was understandable if the family didn't accept it. 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. White explained, There was a part of me that wasnt even there, and now I feel whole. 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. Police began a thorough investigation, and for a while they thought they had a suspect. This was when Netty was pregnant and needed health insurance. Charges against Ann Pettway were filed after it was determined what had occurred, and in July 2012, the New York Times reported that she had been given a 12-year prison sentence at 50. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Though the hospital had a surveillance system, it was not working at the time of the abduction, and there were few potential witnesses. 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. [4][5] The baby had been receiving intravenous antibiotics when, between 2:30am and 3:55am, someone removed the IV line and abducted her. Her skin was much lighter than Pettways, and though relatives often called her little Ann, she didnt see a physical resemblance at all. "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. She retreated from family and friends including her newly-discovered biological parents Joy and Carl, with whom she had a complicated relationship. 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. It may be rejected, but I am deeply sorry for what I've done. "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," said White's biological father, Carl Tyson. According to The Mirror, the ensuing press attention became too much for White. Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine. shocking news that their newborn was gone. White solved the case herself 23 years later after finding her photo on a website with images of missing children. Give her 23 years," Carl Tyson, Carlina White's father, said after the court proceedings. The actress opens up about the surreal process of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel. Perhaps they'll have a reunion of their own when Pettway is released. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? White spent the next several years searching for her birth parents. "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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Public DomainPettway Surrendered on Jan. 23, 2011. One day, Ann confessed that she was not the biological mother. A few days later, Pettway confessed that she was not White's birth mother, but claimed White had been abandoned by her parents at birth. According to records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Pettway is still serving her sentence in New York, but she won't be serving all 12 years of it. According to New York magazine, White was in high school when she discovered that her birth certificate was fake. Daniels said that the Pettway family is well known in the area and that his own sister had been friends with Pettway. Pettway later moved to Atlanta, taking Carlina with her. Ann Pettway faces at least 20 years in prison. Later, Carl Tyson recalled that a woman wearing a nurses uniform directed them upon their arrival, and he saw her again while looking for a phone to update Whites grandparents on her condition. When Pettway refused to offer any further information, White's suspicions grew, and she spent the next several years searching for stories of kidnappings in the Bridgeport area. Pettway, 50, could have been sentenced to life in prison or a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison had she chosen to stand trial. 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. In her last interview in 2014, White told the Mirror that she'd forgiven Pettway and was in contact with her. She was released in April 2021, after serving her time in Alabama. White grew suspicious during her teens that Pettway was not her biological mother, because of her inability to provide a birth certificate. The indictment against Ann Pettway was. A woman reportedly dressed as a nurse had comforted the parents at the hospital, but was not a hospital employee. "You hurt me so bad. 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