Carlina White/FacebookCarlina White solved her own kidnapping case in 2005. White solved the case herself 23 years later after finding her photo on a website with images of missing children. hospital to rest after their baby was admitted in the middle of the Carlina White grew up believing her name was Nejdra Nance. But while White was later found and reunited with her parents, Dansby and Walker's families are still holding out hope that their children will turn up. Relatives told CBS station WCBS that White was raised in an abusive home in Connecticut and then later moved to Georgia. 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 . However, Pettway claimed that White was abandoned as a child and that she'd taken her in. 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. 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. Upon being reunited with her biological parents, Carlina White's attorney advised her to ask them about the cash settlement from the hospital. Though White distanced herself from her birth parents for some time after their initial reunion due to the overwhelming media attention and her complicated feelings for the family that raised her, she toldNew Yorkin late 2011 that they were on good terms and spoke occasionally on the phone. Carlina White's real mother, Joy White and her father Carl Tyson describe their feelings about Ann Pettway. (CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Ann Pettway, the woman who kidnapped a newborn from a New York City hospital more than two decades ago and raised the girl as her own, pleaded guilty Friday to a kidnapping. 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. It was a full two decades later, when Carlina White was due to become a mother herself, that she discovered the truth. Finally, as White was about to board her plane back home to Atlanta, the NYPD contacted her to tell her that her DNA matched Joy and Carl's. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Pettway, who had experienced several miscarriages, abducted White from a hospital by posing as a nurse. "We say listen, the Whites . 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. You took somebody's child, so this ain't no remorse. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. According to New York magazine, White was in high school when she discovered that her birth certificate was fake. January 21, 2011 / 6:45 PM Well, she had on a nurses uniform that night, and prior to that, she had spent 2-3 weeks in the hospital. The case made headlines internationally and solved a mystery that had baffled police for more than two decades. Read about our approach to external linking. The hospital had video surveillance, but at the time it was not working. Pettway posed as a nurse, took the baby from the couple and pretended to take her for treatment. 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. Ann Pettway abducted baby Carlina White from Harlem Hospital on August4, 1987, and raised the child as her own. She then reached out to the organization, which put her in touch with her birth parents. ", 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.". She took a plea bargain, as a result of which the then 50-year-old was sentenced to 12 years in prison. When Netty was 10 years old, Ann gave birth to a son, and the children were raised as siblings. Joy White said she remembered Pettway, posing as a nurse, consoling her before picking up the baby and waking away. Public DomainPettway Surrendered on Jan. 23, 2011. While "Carlina White" is her legal name, as it appears on official documents, she says that she will continue to go by "Netty" in public since it was neither the name her biological parents gave her nor the name given to her by the woman who raised her, but rather is "[the name] I gave myself. Her parents were thrilled about the new addition to their family, but when White was just 19 days old, she developed a high fever. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Soon, she got in touch with her biological family. [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. White recognizes that she caused her biological family pain when she pulled away after meeting them, but she was overwhelmed by the media attention and felt guilt about abandoning the family who raised her. 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. So she went to the woman she had called mom her whole life Annugetta "Ann" Pettway. Before her verdict, she wrote an apology letter that read: I went to the hospital. "I would like to apologize to the family. Authorities say a woman dressed as a nurse abducted a newborn Carlina White on Aug. 4, 1987 from a crib at Harlem Hospital in New York City. 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. Even in the beginning of the year, with all the drama and stuff, I was kind of cloudy. Her mother picked her up at the airport, and she was welcomed by her extended family with open arms. 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. 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. Pettway's attorney, Robert Baum, plans to obtain her hospital records and review her medical history. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. "It was wrong," Pettway told the judge when she entered her guilty plea today in a New York courtroom. A woman who admitted to stealing a 19-day-old infant from a Manhattan hospital in 1987 was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison. It was wrong.''. Well, she had on a nurse's uniform that night, and prior to that, she had spent 2-3 weeks in the hospital. 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 apologized to White's real family during her court appearance, but they weren't exactly in a forgiving mood. Police began a thorough investigation, and for a while they thought they had a suspect. It may be rejected, but I am deeply sorry for what I've done. 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. In her late teens she became suspicious of who she was.. It wasn't until White was in high school that she. [13] On February 17, 2011, a federal grand jury indicted Pettway on the kidnapping charge. Ann Pettway surrendered to FBI agents last year after a warrant was issued for her arrest. 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. "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. ABC News' Kaitlyn Folmer contributed to this report. [9], After the confirmation that Nejdra Nance was really Carlina White, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began a search for Ann Pettway. [1], Annugetta Pettway had an abusive upbringing, her mother often beating her with belts and extension cords. She is being held without bail. 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Though the hospital had a surveillance system, it was not working at the time of the abduction, and there were few potential witnesses. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. "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. Even though the hospital had video cameras, they were not working that night. "She took [Carlina] for 23 years. She brought her beautiful daughter. Authorities issued a warrant for Pettway's arrest for violating her parole in a North Carolina embezzlement case. 135 Likes, 3 Comments - Angelin Ann (@anngelinan) on Instagram: " As Eris finally decided to open the pyxis her mother left behind for her 21st birthday." Where Are Carlina Whites Biological Parents Now. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. I just always believed that she would find me. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Sentencing is scheduled for May 14, 2012. 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. In a letter ahead of the sentencing hearing, Pettway apologised and said the kidnapping would have never occurred if she had sought professional help after her failed pregnancies. Please enter valid email address to continue. Pettway offered an emotional apology in court, saying it was understandable if the family didn't accept it. published October 18, 2020. Carlina White pulled away from her birth parents and returned home to Atlanta. According to the Chicago Tribune, this was partly due to the press attention, but also because White wasn't able to sue New York state for what happened to her. Perhaps they'll have a reunion of their own when Pettway is released. Pettway went on the run after the kidnapping and reunion of White with her biological family made headlines, police said. WCBS 880's Irene Cornell With More On The Story. There, she found a photo of a baby who had been kidnapped in 1987 and looked just like her own daughter, Samani. Soon, the trial began, where her lawyers stated that the kidnapping did not stem from a vicious intent. For the next twenty-three years Carlina's parents continued to search for their daughter. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Pettway later moved to Atlanta, taking Carlina with her. White was abducted from New York City's Harlem Hospital Center in Aug. 1987, when she was just 19 days old. Authorities checked her DNA against her birth parents and realized she was their missing daughter. She was convicted for kidnapping Carlina White in 2012. Pettway served her sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution, Aliceville in Alabama until she was released on April 14, 2021. Suspicious that her mother wasnt who she said she was, White began doing research on the website for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and she soon saw herself in their database. White then got in touch with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, submitted a DNA sample, and eventually learned her true identity in 2011; the following year, Pettway was sentenced to 12 years in prison for kidnapping after turning herself in. Ms White's biological mother, Joy White, also told probation officers that her daughter told her that Pettway had once hit her with a shoe, leaving an imprint on her face. "Pettway was dealing with the stress of trying to be a mom and had had several miscarriages. Pettway posed a nurse, took the baby from the couple and pretended to take her for treatment. I took a child. He had just managed to doze off when the phone rang. Now in her 30s, she seems content to live a private life with her daughter away from media attention. Pettway is on parole in North Carolina until June 2012. But they soon came to a dead end, and the case of Carlina Whites kidnapping went cold. 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. That sounded like a bold request for the biological family of Carlina White. . 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. 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. Biological family of Carlina White doesn't believe confessed kidnapper is sorry. Furthermore, the mother also told the probation department that she used cocaine daily from 1983 to 2005 and that she smoked pot every day till her 30s. Joy White next to her daughters crib shortly after Carlina Whites kidnapping. In another interesting turn of events, Ann turned herself in to the FBI on January 23, 2011. 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. She claimed that White was abandoned by her mother at birth. Timmothy, from Aurora, Illinois, would be 14 years old now. White asked Pettway for the document, but she couldnt provide it. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Upon discovering her kidnapping and her biological parents, she kept her legal name as Carlina White. Netty said this about the whole ordeal: Im not mad at Ann any more. [12] She had driven from North Carolina to Connecticut to arrange care for her biological son. 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. On Aug. 4, 1987, Joy White and Carl Tyson rushed their newborn daughter, Carlina White, to the hospital due to a fever. 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. Since Netty needed to get health insurance, she needed her birth certificate. 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. A security guard had seen someone matching the womans description leave the hospital around 3:30 a.m. She didnt have a baby with her, but he believed it was possible that the missing infant had been hidden in her smock. When Pettway could not produce White's birth certificate, the young woman began searching missing person Web sites and eventually contacted the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 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. "You hurt me so bad. The father remembered that the culprit had said, The baby dont cry for youyou cry for the baby. He found this method of assuring someone a bit weird. Carlina White solved her own kidnapping case in 2005. "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. Plus, you can learn more about the dangers lurking out there from the comfort of your own home. However, she lied to Netty by saying that the actual parent was a drug addict who abandoned her when she was just a child. [6], The case was the first known infant abduction from a New York hospital.[7]. 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). "If I had all that anger in me it would be me who would suffer and it would stop me from living.". If they don't accept it, it's understandable. 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