2:26pm UK, Friday January 21, 2011
A woman kidnapped as a baby from a New York hospital has been reunited with her family 23 years later - after uncovering her own abduction case.
Kidnapped Baby Finds Family After 23 Years
2:26pm UK, Friday January 21, 2011
A woman kidnapped as a baby from a New York hospital has been reunited with her family 23 years later - after uncovering her own abduction case.
Carlina White was 19 days old when she was stolen from Harlem Hospital in 1987.
Her parents, Joy White and Carl Tyson, had taken her there because she had a high fever.
They said a woman dressed as a nurse helped them at the hospital and they left Carlina to recover overnight.
However, when the Tysons returned the next day both the 'nurse' and their daughter had vanished.
Despite the offer of a $10,000 (£6,200) reward no suspects were ever identified.
However, as the years went by, it turned out the best investigator on the case was Carlina herself.
She had long suspected she was at least adopted because the woman who raised her could never provide her with a birth certificate when she was old enough to apply for a driving licence.
Carlina was abducted when she was 19 days old
She also realised there was no family resemblence between them.
Periodically, Carlina's suspicions led her to check the website of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, looking through photos of missing infants in Connecticut where she lived.
On January 4, Carlina, now 23, checked the website again, but searched this time through New York's missing children and saw a baby photo that looked nearly identical to hers.
She contacted the site, which helped connect her with her real mother.
A DNA test confirmed her true identity on Wednesday.
The FBI and authorities are now looking at whether the alleged kidnapper could face federal prosecution since there is no statute of limitations for the abduction of a child under the age of 18.
The woman has not been identified.
In an interview with the New York Post, Carlina said reuniting with her family was like a dream.
"I'm so happy. At the same time, it's a funny feeling because everything's brand-new. It's like being born again."
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