Woman accused of kidnapping Kamiyah Mobley appears in court

Judge expected to set trial date at July 6 hearing

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The woman accused of kidnapping a newborn from a Jacksonville hospital nearly 20 years ago appeared in court Monday.

Gloria Williams is accused of snatching Kamiyah Mobley from what was then known as University Medical Center. She was arrested in January, ending a mystery that spanned two decades. The 51-year-old woman allegedly raised Kamiyah as her own daughter, named Alexis Manigo, for 18 years.

Williams appeared before a judge Monday in Duval County for a pretrial hearing. The judge said she had hoped to set a jury selection date, but the prosecutor was out of town.

Williams remained silent as her defense attorney told the judge that she and the prosecutor are still trying to negotiate in this case and she is "hoping to work this out" before the case gets to trial. 

The judge said she will set a trial at Williams' next court hearing, scheduled for July 6 at 9 a.m.

Investigators used DNA to confirm that Manigo was, in fact, baby Kamiyah, taken from the hospital eight hours after she was born.

Williams has been sitting in the Duval County Jail for 160 days since she was extradited to Florida after being arrested in Walterboro, South Carolina, in January.

When Williams was in court in April, Manigo was at the courthouse. 

Manigo didn't say anything as she left court that morning and has not been at a hearing since.

Other than a few national television interviews, Manigo has been pretty quiet since her life became a global headline.

Williams is being held without bond in the Duval County Jail.


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