South Africa: Parents find daughter 17 years after kidnap

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A newborn was kidnapped from a Cape Town hospital in 1997. Her parents never gave up hope and, 17 years later, they have found her.

She was living just a couple miles (kilometers) from her parents but, as the Cape Argus newspaper reports, the amazing discovery happened only after she attended school with her biological sister, and people noticed their similarities.

Police spokesman Andre Traut says a woman was arrested and appeared in court Friday in the kidnapping at Groote Schuur Hospital.
In a 2010, the girl's biological father said: "I'll never, ever give up hope. I can feel it in my gut — my daughter is out there and she is going to come home."

The Cape Argus reported that police took DNA samples before making the arrest.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150227/af--south_africa-kidnapped-found-781f18e970.html

[MADem]

1. Here's another version w/a bit more detail--fascinating story...can you imagine?

http://news.yahoo.com/africa-family-reunited-child-snatched-1997-095943447.html

The parents, who later had three more children, have celebrated Zephany’s birthday every year since she was kidnapped, never giving up hope that their first-born child would come back to them someday, the Cape Argus said.

Zephany grew up with a different name, and a different family, never knowing she was not their real daughter.

But last month her biological sister, Cassidy Nurse, started high school at the same school as Zephany, and fellow pupils noticed a startling resemblance she bore to a final-year student.

When Cassidy told her parents about the girl, they invited her home for a cup of coffee. When they saw the striking resemblance between the girls, they contacted the police...

[LittleGirl]

2. F*. I don't know which has more a reaction

Amazing or Disgusting that they lived so close. OMG.

[dolphinsandtuna]

3. in the government's custody?

Why is she not with her biological family?

[duhneece]

5. Regardless of her circumstances, she may always feel her 'real' family

is the one she grew up in. I want it to be HER choice entirely....having said that, anyone who knew & participated in her kidnapping should be in jail!

[Demeter]

4. I rejoice for the family that has found its lost child

anything else can wait.