Carlina White
Real Name: Carlina Renae White
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Harlem, New York
Date: August 4, 1987
Bio[]
Occupation: Minor
Date of Birth: July 15, 1987
Height: 1'9"
Weight: 8 lbs
Marital Status: Single
Characteristics: African-American female with black hair and brown eyes.
Case[]
Details: Nineteen-day-old Carlina White is the daughter of Carl Tyson and Joy White. On August 4, 1987, they took her to Harlem Hospital Center in Harlem, New York, after they discovered that she had a 103-degree fever. She was placed in the pediatric unit. Sometime between 2:30 and 3:55am, a woman dressed as a nurse pulled out her IV and abducted her from the unit. They were never seen again.
In October 1988, Carl and Joy filed a $100 million damage suit against the hospital. In 1989, police stated that they believed Carlina's disappearance was related to the presumed abductions of three other children in the local area.
Suspects: An unidentified African American woman dressed as a nurse is believed to have abducted Carlina. She was seen loitering around the hospital for at least three weeks. She was dressed in white shoes, white stockings, white slacks, and a green smock. She was described as being in her thirties (in 1987), tall and heavyset, with a slight Southern accent.
Extra Notes:
- This case first aired as a part of a missing infant special alert on the January 25, 1989 episode, along with those of Marlene Santana and Christopher Abeyta.
- It shares similarities to the abduction of Avery Norris.
- After it was resolved, it was featured in the Lifetime movie, Abducted: The Carlina White Story.
- It was also featured briefly in the second volume of the Netflix reboot, which focused on Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker.
Carlina/Netty reunited with her parents
Results: Solved. In January 2011, a twenty-three-year-old Atlanta woman named Nejdra "Netty" Nance was positively identified through DNA testing as Carlina. She was soon reunited with her family, who never gave up hope that she would be found alive. She had become suspicious of them because they were never able to produce her birth certificate or social security card. She also felt that she did not resemble them. She became especially suspicious when she was unable to obtain a driver's license due to lack of paperwork. Her "mother", Ann Pettway, later confessed that they were not biologically related, however, she claimed that her birthmother had abandoned her. Still suspicious, she began searching missing persons websites, such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. While searching based on her birth year, she found a photo of baby Carlina along with a composite of how she would have looked as an adult. She recognized herself from the photos and called the center's hotline.
After Netty was confirmed to be Carlina, Pettway surrendered to police and was charged with her abduction. She had a criminal history that included charges of embezzlement, forgery, theft, and drugs. She confessed that she abducted her because she had several miscarriages and did not believe that she would be able to have a child of her own. She said that she took a train from her home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to the hospital where she abducted her. In February 2012, she pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced to twelve years in prison.
Today, Carlina maintains a relationship with both sets of her families. This case is no longer believed to be connected to any other missing children.
Links:
- Carlina White on Wikipedia
- 20-Day-Old Infant with a Fever is Abducted from Harlem Hospital - August 5, 1987
- Police Go to Baltimore to Interview Suspect - August 7, 1987
- Parents post reward for stolen baby - August 17, 1987
- Baby Missing 2 Years from Harlem Hospital - August 4, 1989
- Carlina's parents still hold hope - August 12, 1989
- Cold Case Solved: Carlina White Reunites with Parents - January 20, 2011
- Woman abducted as an infant from Harlem Hospital reunites with parents - January 20, 2011
- Police Hunt Woman Who Raised Kidnapped Carlina White - January 21, 2011
- Woman Who Raised Kidnapped Girl Carlina White Surrenders - January 23, 2011
- Woman Admits to Kidnapping Baby in 1987 - January 24, 2011
- Kidnapped at Birth - October 21, 2011
- Carlina "Netty" White tells her side of the kidnapping saga - October 24, 2011
- Ann Pettway pleads guilty to baby kidnapping charges - February 10, 2012
- Kidnapping of Baby Draws 12-Year Term - July 31, 2012
- Woman abducted as infant speaks at Crimes Against Children Conference - August 15, 2014