How Carlina White Figured Out She Had Been Kidnapped

The tabloids today have more info (and video) on how baby Carlina White (who grew up as Nejdra Nance) was able to find her parents 23 years after being kidnapped from Harlem Hospital.

Nance apparently become suspicious of her "mother" Agnotta Pettway—who allegedly abused both her "daughter" and drugs—when she became pregnant at 16 and wanted her birth certificate in order to file for prenatal care. When Pettway, who apparently has multiple aliases, couldn't help her, Nance got curious and confronted the woman who she noticed didn't really look like her. When Pettway finally admitted she wasn't her mother, Nance began the search for her biological parents in earnest.

Nance also explained how Pettway was able to pass the child off as her own: she had just lost a child in pregnancy without telling anyone so the baby did not seem suspicious. However, the police and the feds have yet to decide if they have enough probable cause to make an arrest. When reached by the Post in North Carolina, Pettway said she was coming back North post haste to "straighten this all out," though when the News reached her she snapped "What do you think my relationship is with her? Mother? No, that's why I won't talk to the media. They have it all wrong."

Meanwhile, its hard not to feel happy for Nance and her parents when you see them smiling together after such a long separation.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in News on January 20, 2011 3:41 PM

Comments [rss]

freddynyc

I'm just impressed that her biological parents are still together - are they really?

BoogieDown

Oops, didn't mean to "like" this. I read in a separate piece that they split up a year after the girl's disappearance and have since moved on and created families of their own.

caoileann

I think what saddens me the most about this story, is how very, very happy this young woman looks as she is reunited with her parents, who clearly loved her deeply and never forgot about her. I feel so sad that they lost all this precious time with their daughter and I hope that they can now have the realationship that they might have always had, if they were able to raise her.

dollarmenu

I'm actually a bit surprised at how connected she feels to her "new" parents. If her kidnapper raised her well and loved her as her own, wouldn't she feel even slightly conflicted? Angry and hurt, certainly, but for all intents and purposes that was her mother for 20-some years (until she became suspicious).

BoogieDown

"If her kidnapper raised her well"

This post plainly states that the kidnapper was an abusive drug user, so, no, I don't imagine it was an idyllic upbringing.

Pay me I tweet

bullshit! anne took damn good care of her! I know because my mom was married to anne's cousin and i was raised around neja. I am upset that she is not who we thought she was but not at her I am upset with anne for putting her through this and feeling as if she had to lie about a child. She is most certainly wrong for taking her but she did not raise her wrong and was a great mother to her, i would even go as far as saying neja was completely spoiled and overly loved.

Rob T Firefly

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Anne pass out at 31 Flavors last night.

GothamExtremist

Trust me this chick wouldn't be doing this had she been living in a mansion in Alpine, NJ this whole time. Going back to da Bronx? Hell no!!!! Fuck that shit!!!

ANGRYGOD11

If the "father" was a hedge fund douchebag, then loving people in The Bronx would be an improvement.

Newhce

It is amazing how much the "aged" photo looks like her.

Tamar Weinberg

This NYPost reporter sounds pretty depressed about his job. There is no emotion at all in his narrative.

La-Dee-Dah

What do the police mean, no probable cause? B.S. That woman stole the little girl, took 23 years of hers and her REAL MOTHER'S life. Find that bitch and lock her sorry ass up!