Girl**photo**Life experience: Mom is a kidnapper, and her best friend is her own sister.
In 1997, at the Cape Town Hospital, a ** secretly took a baby who was only three days old out of the maternity ward.
Seventeen years later, the baby she was stolen from childhood has now become a beautiful girl. However, she didn't know anything about her origins. Until a ** photo of her and her best friend revealed the secret of the crime that had been sealed for seventeen years.
Her worldview collapsed in an instant, and her mother was no longer the kind image in her heart, but became an abominable kidnapper. What surprised her even more was that her best friend was actually related to her by blood, and it turned out to be her own sister!
On the left is the younger sister, and on the right is the sister who was stolen. Her biological parents, who have endured great pain every day since her disappearance, celebrated her birthday every year and never gave up looking for her.
Seventeen years later, fate reunites them in a strange way, but before they have time to rejoice, the nightmare strikes again. The child they were looking for had already identified the kidnapper's mother, who could not accept them, and insisted on staying in the home of the person who stole her.
In this case of baby abduction, the world is shocked by the huge coincidences, bizarre circumstances and grief-stricken parents. For 17-year-old Michelle, her life is plain and happy, with many good friends at school and her parents at home who love her.
Her mother, Lavona, always said that her daughter was her "princess" and would take her to the mall for shopping and watching movies.
Michael is a wonderful dad, and his daughter Lavona and baby Michelle feel his affection.
On an ordinary day, Michelle came to school as usual, but was surrounded by classmates on campus. Everyone excitedly told her that the new Cassidy looked strikingly similar to her, and was even three years younger than her.
Michelle doesn't care at first, but when she meets Cassidy face-to-face in the hallway, she feels an inexplicable connection, as if she should know the girl she's never met.
She said to herself: "I almost feel that there is a special relationship between us. It's so weird, and I don't understand why I feel that way. ”
Michelle and her friend crossed the age gap because of fate and became good friends with each other. At school, they greet each other warmly and share the moments of life together.
Their relationship aroused the curiosity of their classmates, and some even asked if they were sisters. They would jokingly reply, "Maybe on another plane!" ”
At one point, they took a photo together, showing off their close friendship.
A friend jokingly asked Michelle, "Were you adopted?" Michelle immediately responded: "Just kidding you!" Then, the girls went home, showed the ** to their families, and shared the stories of their new best friends.
Michelle's mother also spotted similarities between the two girls, and even her father recognized Cassidy, saying that her father had an electrical appliance store where he would sometimes go shopping.
For the Michelles, it was just a small episode in life.
Growing up, Michelle suddenly caused a huge stir in the Cassidy family. After she showed this ** photo at home, serious expressions gradually appeared on her parents' faces, staring intently at this **.
They had a bold speculation in their hearts, but they couldn't believe it, their inner emotions were intertwined, excitement, uneasiness, joy, and fear were churning in their hearts, and they urgently needed a definite answer.
Cassidy's parents revealed a question to her, and they wanted her to ask if she was born on April 30, 1997, the next time they saw Michelle.
Cassidy did as her parents said, but Michelle was baffled by the question. Cassidy assures her that she just wants to confirm Michelle's date of birth and doesn't mean anything else.
Eventually, Michelle confirmed that she was Cassidy's sister who had been missing for 17 years. Cassidy's parents were pleasantly surprised by the sudden news, even though they had been physically and mentally exhausted after 17 years of searching for their daughter.
Michelle's story begins at the moment of her birth, when on April 28, 1997, Celest welcomed her daughter Zephany by caesarean section in a hospital in Cape Town.
Celester and her husband's first child arrived, and her heart was filled with love for a new life. She longed to bring this little girl home as soon as possible and create a beautiful, comfortable little room for her to grow up carefree.
Celeste still vividly remembers the feeling of holding her daughter in her arms on that day, "She was like little Simba in "The Lion King", it was the most memorable and touching moment of my life. ”
I can't wait to bring this little angel home and share this happiness with my family. We had everything ready for her and had our own room which we were all very much looking forward to. ”
Where's the child? ”
After a desperate search, they realize to their horror that their daughter has been kidnapped! Celeste felt like he had been hit with a hammer in his head, and his thoughts were confused and he couldn't concentrate.
At first I couldn't believe it was true, so we hurried downstairs and carpet-searched every floor, but couldn't find her. My baby is gone. I was in pain, my emotions were out of control, and no one could calm me down. ”
The hospital immediately contacted** and conducted a full search of the scene, but only found a few untraceable items, such as Zelfanie's package, a baby coat and a handbag, and no identifiable personal items.
A pillow was also found in the tunnel, which had been used to facilitate the delivery of pregnant women directly from the street to the ward, but now became a convenient passage for kidnappers.
The next morning, ** publicly asked the kidnappers to return the baby, while calling on the public for any possible clues.
Celeste is recovering from labor, but she has to stay in the maternity ward for two more days. Every night, she would be surrounded by crying babies, which made her unbearable.
She longs to go home and find her children. From the moment their daughter disappeared, Celeste and her husband lived a hellish life. They never gave up on finding their daughter, and the collapsed young parents used everything possible, working with **, working with **.
They even cried in front of the camera begging the unknown kidnappers to return their daughter.
Both of them seemed to be hollowed out physically and mentally, especially their mother Celeste, who could barely control herself, and could only cry silently, unable to express even the pain in her heart with words.
Seeing the two of them hugging each other and crying, all of them felt the same way, and their hearts were filled with deep sympathy for them.
Their pain never dissipated, the loss of their daughter was like the loss of a part of themselves, the years passed, the attention gradually faded, and no more clues could be found.
Only Celeste and her husband are still persevering in their search for their daughter. "At night, I hear my neighbor's cat meow and think it's my kids left outside," Celester said. ”
In the park, I would take the initiative to talk to moms with strollers and see their babies. Every time I see a child about the same age as Zelfanie, I talk to their mother.
Although some parents did not welcome me, most were very kind and understanding when I explained the reasons. However, their daughter never showed up.
At first, they were hesitant to have another child and were afraid to experience the pain of childbirth in the hospital again, but after a few years, they decided to expand their family and eventually gave birth to three children, the eldest of whom was Cassidy.
With the loss of Zephany to dad Molnar and daughter Cassidy, their fear is deeply engraved in the hearts of every child. Celeste said her children could not have a "normal" childhood because they were constantly worried that their children would leave them.
This family works every year for:"Sister"Celebrate birthdays, but this way has deeply damaged them for a long time. Not only has the attitude towards the children changed, but the way the couple got along with each other has also changed.
They were once able to support each other in pain, but as time went on, remembering that Zelfani was still outside, their grief led them to blame each other, and the rift between the two grew, culminating in divorce in 2015.
Shortly after the divorce, Celester was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which led her to a difficult process. During that time, she prayed every day that she would survive until she found her daughter.
In the same year, fate, as if sensing their pain, arranged a huge coincidence to bring their daughter back to theirs. It turned out that Michelle, the friend in Cassidy's ** photo, turned out to be their daughter Zephany, who had been missing for 17 years!
At the age of 15, Zephany and her partner discovered the astonishing fact that her date of birth was the same as the date she was stolen. They reported the situation to **, but the results of the investigation revealed that the birth record for that day did not have the name "Michelle" on it, nor did there be any record from any local hospital.
The truth is like a cloud, but for Zephanie's biological parents, this is only the beginning of a nightmare, as they have to face the reality of their daughter's refusal to accept it.
At the age of 17, she walked into the principal's office and was told by a social worker that Cassidy was her real daughter and that her "mother" Lavona was actually the one who abducted her. She said categorically, "I am convinced that these are false, lies, because I believe my mother unconditionally." ”
However, the DNA test results shattered her belief that she was Zelfane. Her "mom" Lavona was immediately brought to justice, but "Dad" Michael insisted that he didn't know anything about it.
Although the relationship between Lavona and her biological parents is awkward, her helplessness seems a little cold in the moment when they meet with tears of excitement. Mother Celeste recalls that day, "I will never forget that day when I saw my daughter for the first time.
I was completely stunned, and what I saw in my eyes was no longer the 17-year-old girl, but the three-day-old baby. I was crying so much that I couldn't even speak, everyone was crying, including the social worker.
She (Zephany) looked at me as if thinking, 'What's wrong with this woman?' When I picked her up, she didn't really hug me. I thought, 'This is where the pain begins, and our hearts will be torn apart, and nothing will be the same.'
Celeste and Zephany's lives aren't the perfect script in the movie, and despite recovering their daughter, their lives are still full of challenges. Celeste herself is battling cancer, and she has a new partner after divorcing her ex-husband.
The life of this broken family who have been looking for a daughter for many years is still a mess, not to mention the huge gap between them and Zelfanie for 17 years. Lavona, a former kidnapper, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping and violating the children's law.
While she was in prison, Zelfanie cut ties with her biological parents. "At that time, we were at our worst, and Zephany saw that we were arguing all the time, divorced and having different partners, and she saw that her biological parents were having a mess and (it was normal for them to leave)," she said. ”
It wasn't until she had a child of her own that Zephany began to reconcile with her biological parents.
Through this experience, Zephany deeply experienced the incomparable love for children. She couldn't imagine the pain it would be if her child were taken away. At this moment, she finally understood the eternal pain of her biological parents.
The family began to gradually regain harmony, and Celester and ex-husband Molnar also let go of their previous suspicions and tied the knot again in 2020.
Celestial beats cancer and takes another brave step at the parole hearing. She had feared coming face to face with the kidnappers, but Zelfanie's support helped her overcome her fears.
At the hearing, Zelfanie said firmly, "I'm here to support my birth parents. These words made Celeste burst into tears on the spot, and her mood was released.
The culprit, Lavona, is cold and unrepentant. After the hearing, Zephany apologized to Celeste and said affectionately: "Mom, I'm sorry, I love you very much. ”
They hugged tightly, and Zephany was reluctant to leave. The dust has finally settled on this tortuous and bizarre kidnapping case, which is full of emotion.
The photo of Zephany and Sister Cassidy, which appears to be a happy one, actually hides the tormented past of the Celeste family. Without that kidnapper, they could have lived an uneventful and happy life, just like Zelfanie's mother envisioned when she was born.
However, the appearance of the kidnappers completely disrupted their lives, and it is unacceptable that they were sentenced to only 10 years. We only hope that this family can get rid of the haze from now on, reunite with happiness, and let the future days be full of sunshine.