‘Kidnap Mom’ Gets 12 Years In Prison For Stealing Baby 25 Years Ago

Ann Pettway, who stole a newborn from a Harlem hospital and raised the baby as her own, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The long-suffering birth parents demanded a longer prison sentence for snatching their 19-day-old daughter out from under them. Read on for the shocking details. Ann Pettway, 50, was given a federal prison sentence of only 12 years -- half of the life she stole from Carlina White, 24. When Carlina was a sick newborn recovering in a Harlem hospital, Ann dressed up as a nurse in order to snatch the 19-day-old and bring her home, where she raised her as her own daughter for 23 years.

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Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC

It wasn’t until last year that Carlina — who was raised as Nejdra Nance by Ann in Connecticut while her parents sufferd in nearby New York City — discovered her true birth parents, Carl Tyson and Joy White.

The parents had suffered for more than two decades wondering what happened to their baby girl. When the time finally came to bring justice to their daughter’s kidnapper, Carl and Joy were not satisfied with the 12-year sentence.

Carl said federal judge Judge Kevin Castel “didn’t have sympathy” for his family, according to the New York Post. “If this had happened to the judge, how would he feel?” Carl said outside court.

The parents are now struggling to build a relationship with Carlina, who now lives outside of Atlanta, after missing out on 23 years of her life.

Ann has been in prison since she surrendered to police last year. Carlina tracked down her real birth parents through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Ann admitted that she was not her real mother.

What do YOU think of the prison sentence HollyMoms? Let us know in the comments below!

— Christina Stiehl

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