An 18-year-old was reunited with her birth parents on Saturday, 18 years after she was abducted from a Jacksonville hospital.
Kamiyah Mobley was finally reunited with her biological mother and father on Saturday afternoon.
State could face challenges in Jacksonville hospital abduction case
Craig Aiken and Shanara Mobley drove to South Carolina from Jacksonville after hearing their daughter was found living in Walterboro.
A friend of Shanara Mobley posted photos of the reunion on Facebook.
Aiken said his daughter told him she was glad to meet him.
"I never gave up hope, I always thought I’d find her,” Aiken said. "It’s been 18 years, it’s going to be hard to make that up."
Photos: Infant abducted from Jacksonville hospital in 1998 found living under new name
Mobley also met her biological mother for the first time since she was taken just hours after her birth.
The two were guarded by police as they drove away.
The reunion happened at a police department in Walterboro, a community where Kamiyah Mobley has been living as Alexis Manigo.
Police say she was raised by Gloria Williams, who is accused of posing as a Jacksonville hospital employee and abducting Kamiyah on July 10, 1998, hours after she was born.
Friend of 1998 infant abduction suspect: 'No one can really believe this'
Williams was arrested at her home in Walterboro Friday morning and is now in custody.
She is facing kidnapping and interference with custody charges. Officials said there is no statute of limitations in the case and she could face life in prison.
She is from a town called Ruffin, which is about 20 minutes from Walterboro.
A lot of her family still lives there and a cousin told Action News Jax that the family had no idea of what police are accusing Williams of having done.
SEE ORIGINAL COVERAGE FROM ACTION NEWS JAX ON THE 1998 SEARCH FOR KAMIYAH MOBLEY
-Video from 1998: Kamiyah Mobley's mother says "I just want my baby back"
-Video from 1998: Sheriff Nat Glover canvasses community looking for tips on missing Kamiyah Mobley
-Video from 1998: Grandmother of Kamiyah Mobley, Jacksonville newborn taken just hours after birth
-Video from 1998: Police search for missing Jacksonville newborn Kamiyah Mobley
Full coverage on ActionNewsJax.com
- State could face challenges in Jacksonville hospital abduction case
- Photos: Kamiyah Mobley found living under new name in South Carolina
- Friend of 1998 infant abduction suspect: 'No one can really believe this'
- Updates: 1998 missing Jacksonville newborn found in South Carolina; 51-year-old woman arrested