Kamiyah Mobley

Summary

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True Crime All The Time – Kamiyah Mobley

Episode 497 – May 14, 2026
Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the extraordinary and heartbreaking case of Kamiyah Mobley, who was abducted as a newborn from a Jacksonville, Florida hospital in 1998. Eighteen years later, she was found alive and well, having been raised by her kidnapper, Gloria Williams, under a new identity. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson navigate the emotional nuances of the story—examining the perspectives of all involved and discussing the tangled aftermath of discovery, reunion, and justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Abduction (02:16–08:26)

• Kamiyah’s Birth and Immediate Kidnapping: On July 10, 1998, 16-year-old Shanara Mobley gave birth to Kamiyah. Hours later, a woman posing as a nurse abducted the baby, carrying her out of the hospital.
• Unfolding Suspicion: Both Kamiyah’s grandmother and mother had suspicions about the “nurse,” particularly noting she carried a purse—a red flag in hindsight (04:53). Shanara’s immediate horror and desperation in discovering Kamiyah was missing highlighted the trauma suffered:
  “Shanara threw herself onto the floor. She started crawling to the hallway, screaming for help, but it was too late.” (05:56)

2. Failed Security and National Search (07:44–10:48)

• Hospital Security Failures: Weak hospital security and non-functioning/nondescript surveillance cameras hindered early investigation.
• Massive Search Efforts: Over 2,500 tips were generated through the years.
• Aftershocks for Family:
  “Shanara was devastated and her pain was amplified when Kamiyah’s father was considered a suspect in her daughter’s abduction.” (08:44)
• Policy Changes: Hospital protocols nationwide were upgraded as a direct result—ID bands, locked maternity wards, kidnapping drills.

3. Gloria Williams’ Motive and Life (11:31–15:22)

• Gloria Williams’ Circumstances: Having suffered a miscarriage and entrenched in a toxic, abusive relationship, Gloria drove from South Carolina to Jacksonville—apparently on a whim—ultimately abducting Kamiyah.
• Integration Into A New Life: Gloria passed Kamiyah off as “Alexis Kelly Manigo,” claiming a surprise labor and return home with a newborn (13:10–13:34).
• Kamiyah’s Upbringing: By Kamiyah’s own account, it was a happy childhood, with Gloria described as “open, upbeat, very hard working.” (15:23)
  Kamiyah (Good Morning America):
  “She was very open to all my friends I brought through that door…She was always smiling, always upbeat…very hard working. She was actually getting her master’s before she was incarcerated.” (15:23)

4. Discovery & Personal Fallout (16:24–21:12)

• Discovery of the Truth: At age 16, Kamiyah attempted to get a job but was unable due to a lack of Social Security number. Gloria was forced to confess. Kamiyah describes it as a difficult, shocking revelation.
• Kamiyah’s Initial Reaction:
  Mike Ferguson: “You weren’t adopted. You were stolen. And you lived your life for 16 years under a lie. Now, it might have been a good life, but it wasn’t completely truthful.” (17:14)
• Kamiyah keeps Gloria’s secret despite knowing the act was illegal, saying she "did not want to lose the woman she considered her mother.” (19:15)

5. Reunion, Legal Proceedings, Personal Conflict (21:12–36:07)

• Kamiyah Identified & Gloria Arrested: Through an anonymous tip and DNA, Kamiyah is found in South Carolina in 2016; Gloria is arrested in 2017.
• Emotional Complexity of Reunions: Kamiyah travels to Florida to meet her biological family, but maintains her bonds with Gloria and her South Carolina relatives (23:05–23:07).
• Kamiyah’s Viewpoint: She does not see herself as a victim, maintains a positive outlook, and openly expresses her unconditional love for Gloria, stating:
  “To be honest, I dealt with it probably better than what people think.” (23:34)
  “I don’t want to see so many years. But I understand a crime was done, so I understand some punishment has to be rendered.” (24:59)
• Shanara’s Sorrow and Anger:
  Shanara’s court statement reveals enduring pain and deepest resentment toward Gloria:
  “She preyed on a child because I was young. She preyed on a child and took my child.” (31:47)
  She calls for the maximum sentence, saying:
  “I need her far away where she can't contact my baby, where my baby can't even get to her.” (35:07)
• Gloria’s Apology and Rationalization:
  “The joy Kamiyah brought her wasn’t hers to take.” (37:36)
  “I never meant to hurt you, never meant to cause harm, any pain, any of that.” (39:33)

6. Judgment & Aftermath (41:09–44:39)

• Sentencing: Gloria Williams receives 18 years—one for every year Kamiyah was missing. (41:09)
• Kamiyah’s Transition: Receives her social security number, lives under both Kamiyah and Alexis, and describes herself as “a hybrid type property presence, so to speak.” (42:31)
• Relationship Fractures:
  • Shanara expresses public pain about Kamiyah’s loyalty to Gloria.
    “I wish they never would have found her.” (44:39)
  • However, reports of a complete estrangement between Kamiyah and her biological mother are disputed.

7. Legal and Psychological Aftershocks (47:12–49:07)

• Gloria’s Appeals: Appeals her sentence, citing ineffective counsel and undiagnosed mental health conditions—including “pseudocyesis.”
• Ongoing Legal Motions: As of 2025-2026, further legal proceedings and appeals are pending.

8. Wider Family Tragedy and Legacy (46:27–47:10)

• Family Tragedy: Kamiyah’s brother, Craven Aiken, is killed in a 2023 shooting; further pain hits the fractured family.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hospital Security
  • Mike Ferguson (07:44): “The other problem was the hospital surveillance footage was just too grainy...and the camera in the nursery was broken...”
• On the Emotional Complexity
  • Mike Gibson (21:12): “You’re happy you know where your daughter is now, but then you find out that she’s happy...Do you want to cause problems and interrupt that?”
• On Kamiyah’s Hybrid Identity
  • Justin Bamberg (Kamiyah’s lawyer) (42:31): “She has accepted her hybrid type property presence, so to speak."
• On Maternal Pain
  • Shannara Mobley (Court Statement) (31:47): “Oh my God. That woman touched me. She preyed on a child because I was young. She preyed on a child and took my child.”
• On Forgiveness and Regret
  • Gloria Williams (39:56): “I know I wronged you, and I’m so sorry. So many days I just wanted to pick that child up and say, come on, let’s get in this car and go. I just couldn’t...I just love that child so."
• Kamiyah’s Resilience
  • (24:29): “I just think things are going to get better. I always believe that. I just think there’s always a rainbow on the other side.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Kamiyah’s Birth and Kidnapping: 02:16–08:26
• Investigation and Family Suffering: 08:26–11:31
• Gloria Williams’ Perspective and Motives: 11:31–15:22
• Kamiyah Discovers the Truth: 16:24–19:15
• Kamiyah Found, Reunion: 21:12–24:46
• Shanara’s Court Statement: 31:47–36:07
• Gloria’s Apology & Final Statements: 37:36–41:09
• Judge’s Sentence & Kamiyah’s Adjustment: 41:09–44:39
• Family Rift and Aftermath: 44:39–47:10

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Tone & Reflections

Mike and Gibby approach this bizarre, emotionally fraught case with empathy and curiosity, repeatedly acknowledging how out of the ordinary the emotional fallout is for all involved. They express sympathy for both Kamiyah and her biological family, while observing that Gloria Williams, despite her crime, had otherwise been a loving mother—a detail that distinguishes this case from typical true crime abductions.

Final Thoughts:
“This is a different type of case… you feel for everyone involved except for Gloria. But even Kamiyah doesn't hate her… She still thinks of her as her mom. Now she's got her biological mother and father, and they're working on a relationship.” (49:07–51:13)

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For anyone seeking a nuanced, human-layered true crime story, this episode is a powerful examination of trauma, identity, and the complications of love and wrongdoing.

Transcript

[A]

Here's the thing about true crime. It's a constant reminder that life is unpredictable. We can't control everything that happens does, but we can control how prepared we are and how protected the people we love will be if something does happen. With more than 400,000 satisfied customers and celebrating five years in business this month, the Knockbox is a complete system that will help you organize everything in your life, from your accounts to your spare keys to your estate plans. With a Knockbox, your loved ones won't have to search through drawers or struggle to access online accounts during an already difficult time. Each folder inside of your Knockbox includes a checklist that tells you what to add to the folder and tells your next of kin what to do with the information. You can't get more comprehensive than a Knockbox. Get the gold standard in organizational systems and make life easier for your next of kin. Go to thenockbox.com and use code TCAT today to save 16% on the knockbox of your choosing. That's the nokbox.com code TCATT at checkout to save 16%. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone Paying big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments.

[B]

But that's weird.

[A]

Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment

[B]

of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent

[A]

to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] hello everyone, and welcome to episode 497 of the True Crime all the Time podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson and with me, as always, is my partner in true crime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you?

[B]

Hey, I'm doing good about you?

[A]

Doing great, man.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

Having a a good week, but I got a lot of stuff coming up. We talked about it on Patreon. Obviously we're going to crime Con later this month, then I'm back for a week and then I turn around and jet off for my daughter's wedding.

[B]

One busy guy.

[A]

That's a lot of leaving the house for me.

[B]

It really is a lot of anxiety for you.

[A]

Yeah, no doubt about it. All right, buddy, you ready to get into this episode of True Crime all the Time?

[B]

I am.

[A]

We're talking about Kamiyah Mobley. Kamiyah Mobley was abducted from the hospital just hours after she was born and then 18 years later she was found alive and well, having been raised by the woman who kidnapped her.

[B]

This is so bizarre.

[A]

It is, but fascinating at the same time. On the morning of July 10, 1998, 16 year old Shanara Mobley gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Kamia. According to News4Jax, Kamiyah's father, 19 year old Craig Aiken, was in jail on a charge of lewd assault for having sex with a minor because Chenara was 15 when she got pregnant.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

However, the Post and Courier reported that Craig was in jail on a minor marijuana charge. So there's a little bit of discrepancies in the reporting, but a few hours after K was born, a woman walked into Shannara's hospital room and introduced herself as a nurse. She spent a couple of hours in the room and then around 3pm she told Shannara she needed to take the baby out of the room for a few minutes to check her temperature. Which to me would seem strange.

[B]

It would.

[A]

But if you're a 15 year old new mother. All right, maybe, maybe you don't question that because you don't know. You don't know yet. Right. We're sitting here saying, well, it sounds strange and our kids are grown, so we've been through all the, the things.

[B]

It's also coming from a person of, I don't want to say power, but it's somebody that you trust.

[A]

Authority.

[B]

Authority, right.

[A]

Should, should know what they're doing and most of the time when somebody like that says something, you believe them because they're the professional.

[B]

I mean in that field, the nurse comes in and says, I need to take your temperature. I believe her and I flip over and I wait for her to do whatever she's got to do.

[A]

Yeah, because for some reason you prefer to get your temperature taken that way. I still don't understand it.

[B]

It's more accurate.

[A]

They have the scanner things now. Much less invasive. But as this woman was walking out, Kamiya's paternal grandmother, Velma Aiken walked in. The woman told her they needed to do a quick test and would be back in 15 minutes. Velma was disappointed because she wanted to see the baby. The woman briefly showed Velma the baby's face and then left the room.

[B]

I'm sure Velma was disappointed by that, but also think she probably thought something was somewhat strange.

[A]

Yeah, something definitely bothered her. She asked Shanara why the nurse had a purse on her shoulder. Dalma even said, you don't think that lady's trying to take Your baby. Wow.

[B]

Talk about foresight. Yeah.

[A]

Well, it is weird, right? If you're working as a nurse, you're not taking your purse from room to room.

[B]

No.

[A]

With you. Shanara called one of the nurseries and was directed to another. She was told her baby was not there.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

I mean, you. We. We talk about it a lot. Right. What's the point in time where somebody really starts to get worried? And this one goes from zero to a hundred, like, right away.

[B]

Yeah. Real quick. I mean, and I'm thinking, you know, I don't know what it's like, but to carry a child for nine months, go through the delivery process, and then you find out you. Your baby's lost, missing.

[A]

Yeah. It would be horrible.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Shanara threw herself onto the floor. She started crawling to the hallway, screaming for help, but it was too late. The woman never returned. With Kamiyah, I mean, this is. I mean, it's an unbelievable situation.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It really is. It just. It's hard to. To think that that can happen. And if it did happen, how you. How someone would get through it?

[B]

Just to me, it sounds like a nightmare. It is a nightmare. And, you know, I know when I had my kids, they had better protocol.

[A]

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[B]

You know, so.

[A]

But, you know, also, this was. This was like 1998.

[B]

It wasn't.

[A]

So it was about the same time.

[B]

Yeah. Maybe just based on different hospitals and things. But I know, like today the protocols really.

[A]

It's really tight.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

With. But, yeah, I mean, this is not. We're not talking about, like the 1950s here, where you could probably just walk

[B]

in and grab the one you want.

[A]

Grab a baby, I guess, out of the nursery, but. So investigators later learned that the woman told hospital staff she was a Mobley family family member and told Shanara she was a nurse. The kidnapper was described as between 25 and 47 years old, wearing a nurse's flower print jacket, teal scrubs, and surgical gloves. And I don't know why this always gets me. Now I get. I'm terrible with ages.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I'm not good with ages at all. But that is such a span. 25 to 47.

[B]

Pretty big gap.

[A]

It really is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think I could tell the difference between a 25 year old and a 47 year old, but maybe not. Maybe not. The other problem was the hospital surveillance footage was just too grainy to identify the woman. And the camera in the nursery was broken because that's where they really would have gotten a good picture of her.

[B]

Probably Seems like we Always have these broken or malfunctional cameras or, you know,

[A]

in a lot of cases back in the day, there's a lot of. And there probably still is, but, you know, smaller stores that just had, like, the fake camera.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It really wasn't attached to anything. Wasn't recording anything.

[B]

Just trying to scare people off.

[A]

Yeah. The search for Kramiya became a national story. Over the years. The Jacksonville sheriff's office and the national center for missing and exploited children received over 2,500 tips. And that's a lot of tips.

[B]

That is a lot of tips.

[A]

I mean, obviously, it's a span of time, but. And. And it goes without saying, Shanaire was devastated and her pain was amplified when Kamiyah's father was considered a suspect in her daughter's abduction. And she was as well. They, like, the two of them were accused of giving the baby away or selling her.

[B]

So on top of not having your child, missing your baby that you gave birth to but didn't really get a chance to do any bonding with, now you're being accused of something like that.

[A]

Yeah. When we talk about it quite a bit in unsolved episodes where somebody dies, spouse, a significant other is looked at right away. And let's say they really are looked at. They're not, you know, ruled out. Well, you have that kind of same situation where they're grieving the loss of their loved one, but at the same time, they're kind of battling this suspicion.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's got to be, like, doubly tough. The hospital where Kamiyah was born, UF Health, Jacksonville, added wristbands and ankle bands for newborns, limited access to the maternity ward, security, and they even started kidnapping drills, which, again, kind of something that comes up all the time. We put things in place as a reaction to something that happens.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Unfortunately, that's just the way it. It seems to be. It'd be great if we could foresee everything and put things in place beforehand, but it. We've never been like that.

[B]

No, it's. It's tough to have, you know, a control in place until you know why you need to have control.

[A]

It really is. Shanara later. Later sued the hospital and was awarded a 1.5 million dollar settlement. And you would look at that and say, well, it's a lot of money, and yeah, it is, but it's. It pales in comparison.

[B]

It's not a replacement for your child.

[A]

No. To. To what happened to her. Other hospitals across the nation increased security and maternity wards. After the kidnapping, Kamiyah Mobley was missing for 18 years. Shanara later recalled how she never stopped thinking about her daughter and how she honored Kamiyah's birthday every year.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, you had those milestones, right? The birthdays, the holidays. And then, like, unfortunately, she missed all those other milestones. Right. The. The first time your baby crawled, walk, walked, all those important things that she didn't get to participate in.

[A]

It's really sad.

[B]

It really is.

[A]

Really is. Kamiyah's biological family in Florida had no idea she was living in South Carolina with a woman named Gloria Williams. This turned out to be the woman who kidnapped her. Gloria would later admit that just before the kidnapping, she left her job at a nursing home in Charleston, South Carolina, still dressed in her scrubs. But instead of going home, she kept driving. She said she was going through a difficult time. She had just lost her sons to their father in a custody thing. She was in an abusive relationship, and her boyfriend was in jail for a short time. The month prior, she had a miscarriage and hadn't told anyone. So Gloria leaves work. She drove four hours to Jacksonville and stopped at a hospital. Random.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then she just went to the nursery and was watching the babies. I mean, obviously there was some stuff going on in her life.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's not normal to get off work and just drive four hours and stop at a random hospital.

[B]

No, that's not typical at all.

[A]

She then entered room 328, where Shana was staying, spent several hours with her before abducting Kamiyah by placing her in a bag and sneaking her out of the hospital. And, you know, for me, you want to say or you want to think at least that that just shouldn't be possible.

[B]

Yeah. Shouldn't happen that way.

[A]

But.

[B]

But it did.

[A]

She drove Kamiyah back to South Carolina and then passed her off as her biological daughter. She renamed her Alexis Kelly Minigo. Gloria's mother was surprised when she arrived home with a baby. Gloria said she had gone into labor while at work and then went to the er. She had been gone overnight. So it was odd but not implausible.

[B]

So it kind of didn't make sense, but there was enough stuff there that maybe it did happen that way.

[A]

Well, we. We mentioned. I mentioned it. Right. She had a miscarriage.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think people knew she was pregnant. She hadn't told anybody about the. The miscarriage. I don't know how far along she was, but there are people who don't really show a lot.

[B]

Oh, yeah. That happens probably more frequently than people realize.

[A]

Yeah, I, When I was much, much younger, I worked with a lady and she said she was nine months pregnant. She did give birth right after that. You couldn't even tell she was pregnant. Yeah, she was very thin and just didn't really show at all. I was shocked.

[B]

Probably just a tiny baby bump.

[A]

I, I didn't even see that. I. Yeah, I thought it was strange, but I've since learned or seen other people that they just don't gain that much weight somehow. Kamiya later recalled that she had a happy childhood with her family. She had a close bond with Gloria.

[B]

Yeah, I mean that's probably did happen. Can't could happen that way. But how do you excuse how she became your. Your mom?

[A]

Well, yeah, I mean, that's going to be tough for Kamiyah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I, I think going back to what you said, I, I don't think we're talking about a serial killer here. No, not to downplay what she did because what she did was absolutely horrible. But she might have been a really good mother.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To this person. Yeah.

[B]

Good mom. A good person generally. Besides, this could have been.

[A]

Yeah, this could have been the only bad thing she did in her life. Yeah, but it was horrible.

[B]

It was.

[A]

Gloria's life improved greatly. She left her abusive boyfriend, regained custody of her sons, and even remarried. In an interview with Good Morning America, Kamiyah said, she was very open to all my friends I brought through that door. She was one of those mothers. She was like open to sleepovers, open to company, always smiling, always upbeat up tempo about everything, very hard working. See, she was actually getting her masters before she was incarcerated. So I mean, again, according to Kamiyah, she had a great childhood. But like you asked, the, the question is going to be how does she react when she finds out and what does she do with that information and what does it.

[B]

Yeah, like you said, how's she gonna react? Because you had this great childhood. But how much of it was real? I mean, it's real, but not with your birth mom.

[A]

No, but everything was real.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

It was said that Kamiyah learned the truth when she was 16 years old. She tried to apply for a job, but she couldn't because she didn't have a Social Security number. Gloria broke down and admitted that she had posed as a nurse and abducted her. She explained that she was in an abusive relationship, had a miscarriage and raised Kamiyah as her daughter.

[B]

Wow. You imagine being a 16 year old hearing that story.

[A]

Yeah, I know some people find out later in life that that they were adopted. And, and I'm sure that can,

[B]

you

[A]

know, come with its own struggles. Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hard to deal with. But this is a different situation. You weren't adopted. You were stolen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you lived your life for the first 16 years under a. A lie. Now, it might have been a good life.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But it wasn't completely truthful.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

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[B]

had a good life. You know, I'm guessing if she had a terrible life, maybe she would have

[A]

thought differently, but drop a dime on her. Yeah, real quick. But I think that that kind of answers your question, right? What do you do with that information? I mean, if you're Kamiyah, this woman, Gloria is the only mother you've ever known, right? She is your mother for all intents and purposes, Right. Do you want to lose your Mother and have her go to prison. And I think for Kamiyah, she said, no, that's not what I want.

[B]

I want stability.

[A]

And I can't blame her for that. I mean, it's, I think it would be hard to. Now, Kamiyah did tell a friend about her real identity. In 2016, the National center for Missing and Exploited Children received an anonymous tip regarding Kamiya's whereabouts. That tip was sent to the Jacksonville Sheriff's office. They found an 18 year old girl living in Waterboro, South Carolina with a different name, but Kamiyah's birthday. So investigators obtained a court order for DNA testing which confirmed Alexis Manigo was Shannara Mobley's daughter. And I think we have to talk about Shannara here. Right. She has spent 18 years. In her own words, not a day went by without, you know, thinking about her daughter, wondering where she is, what happened to her. I mean, imagine going through all of that and then eventually learning that your daughter's a lot and well, but living under a different name, having been raised her entire life by the woman who kidnapped her.

[B]

And that's a whole different problem. Right. I mean, you're happy, you know where your daughter is now, but then you find out that she's happy. Do you say to yourself, ah, do I want to cause problems and interrupt that? You know, I want her to have to go through all this trauma.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, you're going to have. There's going to be tough choices.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

With everyone involved, Kamiyah has to make a tough choice. Shanara is going to have to make a tough choice. Does she reach out? Does she, you know, what does she do? Kamaya was informed of the results and on January 13, 2017, 51 year old Gloria Williams was arrested and charged with kidnapping and. And interference of custody.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which she should be. What she did was extremely criminal.

[B]

It was.

[A]

She might have been a great mom. Took Maya and Kamai's even said so. But that doesn't excuse you from what you did. Right. You got to pay for your crime.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, you kept the real mom from being a mom.

[A]

Yeah. And it was that same day that Gloria was arrested that Shana Mobley learned Kamiyah was alive and safe. She described it as one of the happiest days of my life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Again, I cannot imagine these emotions and I don't think anybody can really fully understand them unless you've lived through it. And who, how many people have lived through something like this?

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Wouldn't want to.

[A]

Baby is stolen right after it's born, 18 years later, you find out that your daughter is alive and has been living with the woman who kidnapped her.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kamiyah traveled to Florida to meet her biological mother, father, and five younger siblings.

[B]

Man. Whole family waiting on her.

[A]

She also maintained relationships with her older brothers and grandparents in South Carolina. And Gloria Williams, who was in jail awaiting trial. In February 2018, she did an interview with First Coast News, and Kamiyah said she doesn't see herself as a victim. She said, everybody's always asking me how you, how you're handling stuff. To be honest, I dealt with it probably better than what people think.

[B]

That's good.

[A]

Yeah. You know, I don't know that everybody would, but sounds like she, to her, it wasn't like, the biggest deal in the world.

[B]

I guess maybe that's because she had a good life versus somebody might have had a really shitty life.

[A]

Yeah. She even said that she made jokes about having more than one mom. So, I mean, yes, I, to. For her to say she's taking it pretty well, I would say. Yeah, she is. Now, she's also, she's also known about this for a couple of years. Right. Remember we said she found out when she was 16 years old.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This is now two years later. So it's not like the, the bombshell is just being dropped on her.

[B]

She's had some time to deal with it. Think about it.

[A]

Yeah. She also talked about how she was focused on the future. Saying, what I've been through is hard, but not hard enough for me to be sad all the rest of my days. My future is only going to get better. So she does have a positive outlook.

[B]

It is a good way to look at it.

[A]

It is.

[B]

You could go back and dwell over the last 18 years and say, oh, poor me and this and that, but

[A]

what could have been? And yeah, I, I do agree with you. I, I think if she would have had a terrible life, childhood with Gloria, maybe you have more of that what if.

[B]

Right.

[A]

How much better would my life have been if I wasn't kidnapped and I, I was with my biological mom. Sounds like she had a good life. So she may have not had as much of that. You're always going to have some. She said about Gloria's fate at her impending trial, of course I'm not going to say throw her in jail and throw away the key or throw her underneath the jail. I don't want to see so many years. But I understand a crime was done, so I understand some punishment has to be rendered.

[B]

I mean, if you think about what she did and what those impacts were to your real mom, I mean, those are pretty substantial impacts. Right.

[A]

It's a serious crime taking. It's a federal crime.

[B]

It's a federal crime.

[A]

Right. It's kidnapping, crossing state lines, all that's federal.

[B]

But, you know, your, your biological mom is every day worried, what happened to you? Where are you at? What's going on? What happened to my girl? And to live that every day be so traumatizing.

[A]

When I think if you're Kamiyah, you have to be cognizant of that. You have to think about that. But at the same time, the only mother you've really known is in jail. And you don't want her to go away forever.

[B]

You don't want her to suffer either, because that's somebody you have love for.

[A]

So Kamiya explained that she was able to stay positive because that's just who she is as a person. She said, I just think things are going to get better. I always believe that. I just think there's always a rainbow on the other side. She also said that Gloria was still a mother behind bars. And she said, she stays on me hard. Like, hey, what are you doing? You got this yet? What are you doing? What college you going to?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's a very strange story for us.

[B]

It is.

[A]

You know, normally the perpetrator is this horrible person kind of throughout. Normally right down to their core. I don't know that Gloria Williams was that type of person. Again, what she did was horrible and criminal.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But I don't know that she was a horrible person outside of this one incident. She certainly wasn't horrible to Kamiyah.

[B]

It sounds. Sounds like she was probably good all the way around, except for how she got.

[A]

Which is really strange.

[B]

Right.

[A]

When you think about a true crime case, even for people who seemingly lead a good life, there are a bunch of people that normally come out after the fact and say, oh, yeah, but let me tell you this story and that story and, and all of that about someone after, you know, what they did's been revealed.

[B]

But you know, when for a woman to have a miscarriage, that could take somebody that, you know has never done anything wrong, doesn't want to do anything wrong, but that can put them in a different space in their mind and maybe they end up doing something that they normally would never, ever do.

[A]

Yeah. And I think it's something that will definitely talk about. Kamiyah's father, Craig Aiken, told First Coast News. I blame the hospital. Before Gloria because ain't no way she shouldn't have been able to get in there and steal the baby like she did. I do blame the security at the hospital. I blame them because if it wasn't here, it could have been somebody else.

[B]

Yeah, I agree with them. I think the hospital. That's why the hospital end up paying them, you know, 1.5 million and changing

[A]

a bunch of protocols. Obviously, it was two lacks or whatever. Craig also said that it felt as if Shamia was never gone and she fit in seamlessly with her sibling.

[B]

That's always nice.

[A]

Yeah, it's amazing. Shannara told First Coast News they were working on their relationship and Kamiyah had grown closer to her father. So the whole, the whole thing is somewhat of a feel good story in a weird way, with the exception of Gloria.

[B]

Right.

[A]

She's in prison or she's awaiting trial, most likely gonna go to prison. But even Kamiyah doesn't hate her. She still thinks of her as a. As her mother. Now she's got this other mother, her biological mother and father and other siblings, and they're working on a relationship. On February 12, 2018, Gloria Williams pleaded guilty to kidnapping and interference with custody in Florida. Kidnapping carries a possible life sentence, but the plea deal limited the maximum sentence to 22 years. You know, kidnapping is no joke, and it should be a very severe sentence. Now, kidnapping does get thrown around in some strange circumstances.

[B]

It does, right?

[A]

I've seen it like in a robbery scenario where you lock somebody or take them from one room to another, and technically that becomes kidnapping. This is like what I think of true kidnapping. I don't want to say the other ones are not, but this is what I think of as kidnapping. You take. You're taking someone away from wherever they are and taking them somewhere else against their will.

[B]

And that's kind of. Everybody thinks of the old.

[A]

Yeah, kind of the old school definition of kidnapping. To help make the decision on sentencing, the judge held a hearing in early May to gather testimony. Shanara Mobley gave an emotional statement during the the sentencing hearing. She recounted what she felt when Kamiyah was born, saying per First Coast News. It was like God was giving me another chance to straighten up. And I had a reason to. As a teen, she ran away from home. She was, you know, having fun, but one day she woke up and didn't want to do those things anymore. She found out she was pregnant a couple of weeks later and she wanted to better her life. But she never got the chance to take Kamiyah home from the hospital and. And raise her. She said Gloria Williams spent hours with her and her baby. Shanara recalled. She was real nice. I trusted her. Oh my God. That woman touched me. She preyed on a child because I was young. She preyed on a child and took my child. And again, you can't lose sight of the fact that Shanara was only 15 years old.

[B]

Right. She was a baby herself at that

[A]

time and had just gone through a delivery, had just given birth. She said she panicked when she realized Kamiyah was not supposed to be taken from the room. She threw herself to the ground and crawled on the floor trying to find them. And that's a visual.

[B]

It is heart wrenching. Right?

[A]

I mean, you think about what it's like after giving birth. I mean, I can't describe it myself, but saw my wife in that situation twice. And she wasn't, you know, gonna jump out of bed and run after somebody. No, she was not in that. That condition. But it. It really just kind of paints a picture of, you know, what she was feeling at that time. That she's like just flopping out of bed, crawling. Because that's all she can do.

[B]

Anything she can possibly do to try to find her baby.

[A]

Yeah. The days and months that followed were difficult. She had nightmares. She said she self medicated. Thinking about suicide every day. People watching me all day, every day. No one was leaving me unattended.

[B]

Well, I mean, look, I mean, a lot of women will get that post. Pardon. Am I saying that right?

[A]

Partum.

[B]

Partum. Postpartum. Yeah.

[A]

Like you've been like after you've been pardoned.

[B]

Yeah. Going to pardon you again. Postpartum. And then if you have something like that with this or just this alone, I mean, I think it'd be. Even as a dad, I think it'd be hard to wake up every day knowing that somebody took your child.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But as the mom that carried and delivered, I. I don't. I don't know how you even function. The fact that she was able to function is amazing.

[A]

I. I don't know there for a while. Maybe she wasn't.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is kind of what I'm. I'm getting. She said it doesn't heal now. I'm still hurting when you're reaching out to my child. I am your mother, Kamiyah. I am your mother.

[B]

Yeah. Wow.

[A]

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[B]

plenty of time left on the clock. So your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-granger.

[A]

Visit granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Chenara also said it hurt to see that Kamiya had Gloria's number saved in her phone as mommy, but that's how she knew her. Yeah, but it's, it's not going to help or it's not going to keep Shanara from feeling hurt.

[B]

No.

[A]

Right. She thought about Kamiyah every single day she was missing and would cry when she thought about her. Chenera said she would recommend the death penalty if she could. But she recommended the maximum 22 year sentence saying, Because I need her away from my child. I need her far away where she can't contact my baby, where my baby can't even get to her.

[B]

I mean, you think about the fact that she took the baby away from her for 20, for 18 years. Right. You know, so for her to have to go to prison for 22 years, I mean, it doesn't seem that harsh.

[A]

Well, it should at least be as long as.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She's kept the, the child away from the biological mother. Right. At least. Which it is. Towards the end of her statement, Shanara said, I missed the first walk, the first word, graduating prom, I missed all that. But I was always trying to look at it like life is a positive to a negative. When she gets pregnant, I get to be the grandma. When she graduates college, I get to be there. The future has so much to offer us now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, you know, again, she's being pretty positive as well. Now she is reflecting back on all the things she missed and some of those we talked about.

[B]

I don't think it's going to be easy steps forward. I mean because you're always going to have those moments that you're going to think about all the things you missed out on and you're going to want to blame Gloria which is the person that is to blame. But then you have to be kind of careful because your daughter has a

[A]

special bond with that woman. Yes. And the other thing that I was thinking about is it's not like when the two of them to get together, they have this instant mother, daughter bond.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because they never had it.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

So it, it has to take some time to develop. Kamiyah chose not to testify. Gloria was the last to speak at the hearing. She said, I really just cannot tell you what was on my Mind in my head back then, I was a different person. My head was in a different place. I was just broken. I had a broken heart. I had a broken spirit. And you kind of touched on this earlier. But she did blame her miscarriage on her former boyfriend's abuse. The prosecutor asked why she didn't leave. Gloria said she tried to bring peace and assumed because he apologized, he wouldn't hurt her again. She thought she could change him. She said she didn't plan to kidnap a baby when she drove to the hospital. And she admitted that the joy Kamiyah brought her wasn't hers to take. And that's a very interesting statement. And factual. It's very true. Imagine the joy that your kids brought to you in the first 18 years of their life.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

All the different things. Now there's things that are not so joyful. Right. And raising kids, they can be a real pain in the. You know what. Sometimes. But all in all, they're amazing. And there's so many great moments. She experienced all those.

[B]

She did.

[A]

And Shanara got none of those.

[B]

No.

[A]

So for her to say, you know, those weren't mine to take. She's. She's correct. Like I always say, I wonder, you know, how much of this is kind of what I call courtroom speak, which is. Well, I know the judge or whoever wants me to say these things, I've got to say it a certain way to make myself, you know, not look as. Or look a little bit less terrible. She said directly to Chenara and Craig, I know I wronged you, and I'm so sorry. So many days. So many days. I just wanted to pick that child up and say, come on, let's get in this car and go. I just couldn't. When I left Jacksonville, I didn't look back. I didn't know what you went through. I know you hate me right now. I. I just love that child so. And I never meant to hurt you, never meant to cause you any harm, any pain, any of that. And I'm sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. So. You know, there's a lot in there. The one thing that I do struggle with is when you say, I never meant to hurt you, never meant to cause harm. How could you think what you're doing is going to do anything else but that?

[B]

Yeah. I mean, you got some blinders on.

[A]

Yeah. Mean. That is a little tough to. To understand. Right. How Gloria could stand up and say that. Because I don't know how. You don't think that's going to cause somebody harm, stealing their baby. Now, she can say everything she wants to now, but that part I struggle with.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She also addressed kamiya using her birth name and said, I will always love you. The joy that you brought me, I thank God. The world can't take it away from me. But you're not mine. Your mother and father are sitting right here. So, again, I do think she loved kamiyah very much. I also think some of the things she's saying, I don't want to say she didn't fully believe them Because I don't know what's in her mind. But you can make the argument that, you know, those are things that a lot of defendants say because. Or the types of things that defendants say because they know that's what people want to hear.

[B]

Yeah. They're in the eye of the public now.

[A]

Yeah. And they're in a little bit of cya.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Right. How can I make myself look a little bit better? I'm not going to make myself look great, because there's no way to do it. On June 8, 2018, Gloria Williams was sentenced 18 years, representing each year Kamiyah was missing. So, you know, they wanted death, they wanted life. There was a plea deal for 22. She got sentenced 18.

[B]

I think that's the minimum that she should get.

[A]

Yeah. I think any. Anything short of that, and we probably would be up in arms.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You could still make an argument that 18 years is not long enough. I agree, But I don't think, you know, I'm. I'm personally not going to jump up and down and say, oh, my gosh, I can't believe it's that. I mean, we cover cases in canada where somebody gets seven years for murder, and in two years, they're on day patrol, parole. So.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

You know, it's. It is what it is. Kamiyah's lawyer, Justin bamber, told first coast news shortly after sentencing that kamiyah had finally gotten a Social Security number and. And would soon take her driver's license test and start working.

[B]

Yeah. Because now she knows what her real name is.

[A]

Yeah. And then, you know, that's the other thing about Gloria. She had to have known. Right. That at some point in the future, this was going to come up. Right. You need a Social Security number to do certain things.

[B]

So either start working with somebody to get a fake one, or you're gonna have to come clean. Yeah.

[A]

So because she didn't do the first part of that, she had to have known that at Some point in time, she was going to have to come clean.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kamiyah has chosen to use her birth name on her official paperwork, but she also didn't mind being called Alexis. Bamberg explained she has accepted her hybrid type property presence, so to speak. And I get that. I mean, you know, here's a. A woman who is kind of living in two different worlds almost.

[B]

She.

[A]

She has the past where for 18 years she was Alexis.

[B]

Yeah. It's how you know yourself.

[A]

And now she knows her. Her birth mom and dad. She's got some new siblings. She knows that her birth name was Kamiyah. Her legal name technically is Kamiyah, but it's not like you can just throw Alexis out the window. That's who you were for 18 years. Yeah.

[B]

It can be tough to move on from that.

[A]

It was difficult for Kamiyah to get a Social Security number because she had to prove her identity. Her birth certificate has the name Kamiyah, but all of her other paperwork has the name Alexis Minico.

[B]

I'd be like, haven't you read the newspaper, buddy?

[A]

It's everywhere. Right. This is a. It's a big case. In her first interview since Gloria was sentenced, Kamiya told Good Morning America that she still loves Gloria, visits her in prison, speaks to her on the phone several times a week. She was still living in Walter Burrow, South Carolina, and and was still getting acquainted with her biological family. She conceded that it was a balancing act to appease both families. But things were easier since the court proceedings were over and she felt closure. She said about Gloria's sentence, it was actually good because at least I didn't expect like 8 and she got 18. I figured that was going to happen, but I mean, she'll still be alive. They didn't give her like 30 or 45. She'll come out walking and talking. It's fine. In a July 2018 interview with ABC News 4, Shanara Mobley said she and Kamiyah were not speaking.

[B]

That's rough.

[A]

Yeah. She said she was willing to look past her disappointment when she learned Kamiyah didn't immediately alert police when she found out the truth. But Shanara was hurt that Kamiya said she hoped Gloria did not receive a long prison sentence. She said, I don't deal with disrespect. I wish they never would have found her. So that went south very quickly.

[B]

Sure did.

[A]

So she felt like that was disrespectful because Kamiya didn't want Gloria to, you know, receive a very long prison sentence. And I I, I guess I get that, but then I don't, because like we talked about. Right. For 18 years, that was the only mom she knew.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Now she found out when she was 16, but she didn't know her, her biological mom at all.

[B]

But her mindset was, this is the person that gave me love.

[A]

This is my mom.

[B]

Yeah. It's kind of like, what's that syndrome? Stockholm syndrome? I guess a little bit maybe, you know, your mind's conditioned that this is the person. Yeah.

[A]

I don't think that's like a perfect comparison, but we'll go, yeah, but I'm saying, but your mind, I, I, yeah, I get where you're going.

[B]

And for you as the, the biological mom to say, you need to just be on the same page with me and you should, should have went to authorities right away and you should have,

[A]

or to be mad about that. That's kind of, I mean, I don't want to speak badly about Chanel either, but it's, it's hard.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's hard to understand that because it seems like they don't have a relationship at all.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, tough.

[A]

Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi, who had occasional contact with Shanara, said in 2019 that the stories claiming they weren't speaking were untrue. On March 1, 2023, Kamiya's family faced another tragedy when her brother, 20 year old Craven Aiken, and 19 year old Devon Taylor were killed in a shooting in Arlington. 17 year old Darien Mixon, a high school student, was charged in connection with the shooting. On April 1, 2026, a jury found Darian Mixon guilty of double murder. He was also found guilty of armed burglary and grand theft auto. So it sounds like maybe like carjacking.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So scenario. Gloria Williams has appealed her sentence several times. In a December 2023 filing, she asked for her guilty plea to be revoked. She argued that her counsel was ineffective and failed to investigate her mental health. They didn't ask for a hearing to decide if she was competent to proceed with trial. And they didn't prepare a defense, which gave her no option but to take a plea. According to the filing, Gloria was diagnosed with depression, social anxiety disorder, PTSD and pseudocysis, a disorder where a woman feels like and believes she's pregnant but is not okay. We've done a lot of stories that is not something I've ever heard of. Her counsel sought an opinion from an expert, but didn't present that evidence or try to argue she shouldn't go to trial. Her Pseudo SIS was described as part of her motivation for the kidnapping and that she may have believed a lie that the baby was hers.

[B]

Well, I mean, maybe that would have changed the outcome of the trial.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think so.

[B]

No. But that's what she's gonna.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Claim.

[A]

I mean, ineffective assistance of counsel is, you know, something that a lot of people file on. Right. As far as appeals go, I do think there are a lot of things that attorneys, they look at and they make the decision, is this in my client's best interest to introduce or not? And they may have said, no, we don't think it is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if that's the case, then it's really not ineffective, it's just the decision that they made. But who knows? I mean, I. I don't think she would get another trial, but you never know.

[B]

I don't think so.

[A]

In September 2025, her attorney was allowed to withdraw due to a conflict. Gloria was appointed a new attorney, and she's now waiting an evidentiary hearing on her motion for post conviction relief. So could happen, could not happen. You never know. But as we wrap this one up, Gibbs, it's a different type of case. You know, you feel for really everyone involved except for Gloria.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's hard for me to feel bad for her because she did something she wasn't supposed to. She did something criminal.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But you feel bad for Kamiyah for a number of different reasons. And. And there it's. It's complex. Right. She was taken away from her birth mother, but even from, you know, her own admissions to papers and outlets, she had a great childhood with Gloria. And that's. That's the really strange thing here. It's not like she was kidnapped and kept in a dungeon. That doesn't make the kidnapping better. No, I'm just saying. And then I feel bad for Kamiyah because she lost the relationship with her kidnapper. And then I. I don't know how to feel about that.

[B]

A lot of emotions.

[A]

Yeah. And they're. And some of them are weird.

[B]

Yeah. Right.

[A]

Kamiyah can't stop thinking of Gloria as her mom because it's really the only mother she's ever known.

[B]

I mean, if that's what you've known every day for 16 years, it's going to be hard to reverse that.

[A]

It is. And then, you know, obviously you have to feel bad for Shannara because she missed out on so much. Like. Like we said, I don't know what the state of their relationship is. If it's no relationship. And that's because Shaenera can't get past the. The issues of, you know, Kamiyah not turning Gloria and sooner or not wishing her a longer sentence. I mean, that. That would be a shame.

[B]

It would be.

[A]

It really would.

[B]

Hopefully one day they get past all that and baby steps and eventually find themselves spending more time with each other.

[A]

Yeah, you would hope so. But that's it for another episode of True Crime all the time. So for Mike and Gibby, we'll talk to you next week.

[B]

See you.