Victim of Infant Abduction Reunited with Family After 23 Years

NEW YORK — A victim of infant abduction was reunited with her biological parents after living with another family for 23 years. Carlina White, who was raised under the alias Nejdra Nance, suspected that the woman raising her was not her real mother.

White was raised by Cassandra Pettway, a drug user who allegedly abused White and used false IDs and Social Security numbers, the New York Daily News reports. At 16, White became suspicious of her heritage, prompting her to write to the Oprah Winfrey show for help. Later, when she became pregnant and asked Pettway for paperwork on her background, Pettway told her she was not her biological mother.

According to My Fox Atlanta, Pettway, who had been previously arrested for embezzlement, forgery and theft, disappeared on Jan. 20 as the FBI attempted to track her down. Authorities suspect that she might be responsible for abducting White, who was taken from Harlem Hospital when she was just 19 days old.

White discovered her true identity after contacting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in December. A DNA test confirmed that she is the daughter of Joy White and Carl Tyson.   

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