New sentence in Kamiyah Mobley case adds twist to her abducted-child saga

Kamiyah Mobley, a 27-year-old woman from Walterboro, South Carolina, has learned of a second, defining blow to a saga that began when she was snatched from a Florida hospital as a newborn. On Monday, Mobley publicly noted that the man who raised her—believing he was her biological father—has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to armed robbery and related weapon charges. The new development comes more than seven years after Mobley discovered that the woman she considered her mother, Gloria Williams, abducted her from a Jacksonville hospital in 1998 and raised her for 18 years as her own.

The case first drew national attention in 2017, when Mobley learned that her “mom” was not her mother at all. Williams, then posing as a nurse, abducted Mobley from the University Medical Center in Jacksonville on July 10, 1998, and presented the infant as her own to family and friends. Mobley’s biological mother, Shanara Mobley, was a 16-year-old at the time. Williams’s deception continued for years, and investigators later said the suspect admitted the abduction after a tip from a friend and another tip from someone who had heard the claim from Mobley. In June 2018, Williams pleaded guilty to kidnapping and interference with custody and received an 18-year prison sentence.

The latest turn involves Charles Jamie Manigo, the man Mobley previously believed to be her biological father and who helped raise her in South Carolina. Manigo, 53, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to armed robbery and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in connection with an incident in January 2019. According to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Manigo borrowed money from a former coworker in 2018 and, after the loan went unpaid for months, confronted the coworker at a stoplight, brandished a gun, and demanded repayment. The confrontation escalated to a pursuit and a shooting of a bullet into the air, with Manigo making off with about $200 in cash. A video of part of the crime was captured by the coworker’s nephew, who was in the car at the time.

“This was a dangerous and brazen crime that put multiple people at risk,” solicitor JB Bryant said in a statement about Manigo’s sentence. “The defendant chose to escalate a minor dispute into an armed robbery, and the 10-year sentence reflects the seriousness of that conduct and the threat it posed to the community.” Mobley herself acknowledged the striking irony on social media, writing, “So both of my South Carolina parents are doing prison time. Boy, what a life? And they will both get out at the same time.”

Manigo’s sentencing and statements at Williams’ trial have framed Mobley’s ongoing sense of dual belonging. The man who raised her on Williams’s behalf testified that Mobley and Williams had discussed a shared parenting arrangement before Mobley’s biological father vanished from her life; Manigo claimed that the family had discussed Mobley’s birth name and that he believed he and Williams had jointly raised her after their separation in 2003. Mobley, who has publicly discussed the emotional complexities of growing up with two families, said she felt the tension of competing loyalties, especially during milestones like prom and other rites of passage.

The Shore-of-confusion tone has persisted through the years. Shanara Mobley has described a painful ultimatum she delivered during an interview, saying Mobley would have to choose which mother she wanted in her life. Mobley has maintained that she considers Williams both the mother she grew up with and a figure from whom she sought answers, while Shanara Mobley has said she wants her daughter to know the full truth about her origins. Mobley has spoken about the emotional toll of the situation, noting that Williams’ ongoing contact—such as through Mother’s Day greetings—can feel like a reminder of the pain of the original abduction.

The case remains a high-profile example of how a single act can ripple through generations. While Williams served time for the abduction and its custody interference, Manigo’s conviction highlighted the long-term consequences of the choices made years ago. Mobley’s story continues to attract attention for its blend of human resilience and unresolved questions about identity, family, and belonging. As she navigates the fallout from two prison sentences that touch the people she believed were her parents, Mobley’s public reflections underscore the enduring complexity of a life defined by a parentage that was never what it seemed.