Mum reunited with baby stolen from her 17 years ago

Mum reunited with baby stolen from her 17 years ago



A MUM has been reunited with her daughter who was snatched from her 17 years ago.


By Emma Thomas / Published 28th February 2015


Zephany Nurse was found by her biological mother after she unknowingly became friends with her sister a school.

The youngster was taken from her mother's arms as she slept in the maternity ward at the Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town nearly two decades ago.

Her parents, Morné and Celeste Nurse, who live in Cape Town and have three other children, always kept hoping they would see their first-born child again.

Unbeknownst to them, she was just a couple of miles away with another family and she never suspected she wasn't their real daughter.

But when her biological sister, Cassidy, went to the same school as Zephany, other pupils noticed they looked similar.

After their father saw the two girls together he also saw the similarities and called police.

DNA tests showed she was their stolen daughter and she was taken into social service care and the woman who allegedly kidnapped her has been arrested and charged.

Zephany’s aunt, Shantal Berry, said: “We feel very excited, happy. There is just a joy. It feels like we’re in a dream and we must still wake up. Can this really be happening?”

The missing youngster met her mum for the first time in 17 years and Ms Berry added: “She was very excited. She cried, she told me. She said she’s got a very pretty, very beautiful daughter.”

The accused woman is reported to have no other children and is 50-years-old.

She appeared at Cape Town magistrates court charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening sections of the Children’s Act.


http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/428130/Mum-reunited-with-baby-stolen-from-her-17-years-ago

What a nice story, Max! A happy ending for once.

wonderful news.

bb1, I agree with you.

Zephany suspect ‘miscarried twice’

March 5 2015 at 07:41am


By Genevieve Serra and Venecia Valentine


Cape Town - Friends and neighbours of the woman accused of snatching a baby out of hospital 17 years ago have revealed that she miscarried at least twice.

They say the 50-year-old woman didn’t want to go home empty-handed to disappoint her husband.

On Wednesday, the Daily Voice visited neighbours of the Lavender Hill woman who was arrested last week for kidnapping Zephany Nurse.

The residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, painted a picture of her as a loving woman who loves children and cares about her community and church.

They say the family is well off and Zephany “wanted for nothing” while growing up, and they will be supporting her when she appears at the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

A close friend of the family says: “In April 1997, the woman suffered her second miscarriage and she was taken to Groote Schuur Hospital.

“She did not want to tell her husband, and that’s why she snatched Zephany from her mother’s arms.

“She took the baby to the Retreat Clinic in 11th Avenue, and from there called her husband.

“They gave that child a good life.”

Another neighbour said they were shocked to hear of the arrest, and if she did it, there must have been a “valid reason”.

The 50-year-old resident says her daughter and Zephany grew up together and attended the same primary school.

“When we found out about this in the news, my daughter was so shocked, she couldn’t believe her friend was abducted from hospital at birth, because of the bond Zephany has with her parents,” she says.

“I knew Zephany for a long time, we live close to their house, my daughter spent some weekends with that family and she always enjoyed her stay there.

“I don’t know why she would do this as she is also a converted Christian woman, but I assume the reason she took the baby that day is because she had a miscarriage and didn’t want to go home empty-handed or disappoint her husband.”

Another woman who knew Zephany since she was an infant says the alleged baby snatcher is a loving woman who was a pillar in her community.

“She would always reach out to her community and help where she could, she has a pure heart and is very sincere toward others,” said the pensioner.

“She is ... never rude to anyone, she brought up her child well and gave her everything she needed and more.”

The woman said they would stand by the family no matter what.

“She used to look after her sister’s kids also and never harmed them or Zephany, so I believe she doesn’t deserve a harsh sentence,” she says.

“What is done in the dark will be brought to light – in this case, it took 17 years to come out to the light.”

Last week, DNA tests confirmed that the suspect’s daughter is in fact Zephany Nurse.

The matric girl is currently in the care of social workers and has been in contact with her biological family.

Acordimg to the Cape Times she says she has no plans to testify against the woman who raised her as her own.

According to her social worker, provincial Social Development director Leana Goosen, Zephany wants nothing more than a normal life and to go back to school and attend her matric dance.

Goosen said on Wednesday: “She hopes to be as normal as possible for the future, without parties fighting about her, and to give her the opportunity to have as many loved ones in her life, without her having to choose between people.”

* The Centre for Child Law has requested that the identity of Zephany Nurse, as well as her suspected kidnapper, not be revealed to protect the teenager, who is still a minor. Zephany, who has been living under a different name, also does not want her identity to be revealed when she turns 18.

Daily Voice and Cape Times


http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/zephany-suspect-miscarried-twice-1.1827295#.VPvLZWSsWcI

Zephany suspect out on bail


March 6 2015 at 11:29am
By Sapa


Cape Town - The woman who allegedly kidnapped Zephany Nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital 17 years ago was released on bail of R5 000 on Friday.

The woman may not be identified for the protection of the child, who is still regarded as a minor.

The woman appeared in the Cape Town District Court before Magistrate Mark Engel, who warned her not to have contact, direct or indirect, with the girl or any State witnesses, as one of the bail conditions.

He told her this included no contact with the girl or witnesses via Facebook or any other social media forum.

The woman was released on bail following an agreement between prosecutor Bonnie Currie-Gamwo and defence attorney Reaz Khan.

The large courtroom was packed to capacity, with some reporters seated on the floor in the well of the courtroom.

When proceedings ended, the magistrate asked the public to leave the courtroom “in an orderly fashion”.

The magistrate said the accused had a fixed address and was not considered by the State to be a flight risk.

She also had no previous convictions, pending criminal cases, or outstanding warrants for her arrest.

Engel ruled that, under the circumstances, it was in the interests of justice to release her on bail.

The accused is alleged to have kidnapped the baby on April 30, 1997, as she lay in her sleeping mother's arms in the hospital.

Engel said the purpose of bail was to secure the accused's attendance at proceedings and not to determine her guilt or innocence.

As bail conditions, she was ordered to return to court on May 29 and to reside at an agreed address. She must also report to the police every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, between 5am and 8pm.


http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/zephany-suspect-out-on-bail-1.1828048#.VPvNc2SsWcJ

‘May this give hope to others’


March 7 2015 at 12:07pm
By Daily Mail


Cape Town - Celeste Nurse said she hoped the return of Zephany would give other families of missing children hope.

“Sometimes they return, sometimes they don’t. I always thought ‘What is she doing on her birthday, is she out at the movies with her friends, with family? Is she reading our newspaper article about our party for this girl who is missing?’

“I have written to the parents of Madeleine McCann, just to offer my support and tell them not to give up hope.

“I never doubted that Zephany would come back to us one day, we never lost hope, ever.

“I keep thinking how many times we must have been in the same shop, or she must have read in the newspaper about herself and the birthday parties we held for her every year.”

Morné said: “It’s deep down in your gut – you felt it, that she’s out there.

“We never lost hope, not for a day. Hope was always there, we felt it. Her death didn’t occur to us ever.”


http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/may-this-give-hope-to-others-1.1828550#.VPvN6mSsWcJ