Suspect Ann Pettway (pictured), who stands accused of snatching Carlina White from Harlem Hospital's pediatric ward 23 years ago is being held without bail on kidnapping charges Monday in federal court in Manhattan.

The 44-year-old woman gave herself up Saturday to FBI officials in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and admitted to being "truly sorry," according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Pettway was wanted on a warrant from North Carolina, where she was on probation over an embezzlement conviction.

Police reports reveal that Pettway had suffered several miscarriages and had convinced herself that she would never become a Mother. Pettway admitted to taking White when she was just 19 days old from the hospital back in 1987 and went on to tell law enforcement that no one even attempted to stop her during the kidnapping.

Pettway recounted her story to police about how she posed as a nurse, took White (who had a raging fever) from her parents and then pretended to take her in for treatment. When Pettway exited the hospital with the baby, she took a train to Bridgeport. Pettway then managed to convince friends and family that she had actually given birth to White.

The woman told investigators that she made several attempts to create a fake birth certificate, but that it didn't quite look real enough to fool folks. Pettway gave White the name Nejdra Nance and raised her along with her natural son. No one questioned the woman about White -- not even family members.

Pettway's own brother said that he thought White belonged to his sister:

"Why should I think twice about it? She just was a baby, just a baby," Kapell Pettway told ABC News.

Yet, while no one suspected Pettway of foul play surrounding the alleged birth of her daughter, White did have suspicions that plagued her.

The young woman who has accused her kidnapper of physical and emotional mistreatment throughout her childhood. White has said that she always felt like a foreigner within her family and couldn't find her birth certificate or social security card, which stopped her from being able to get a driver's license because she had no documents that supported her existence. The 23-year-old also took note of the fact that she resembled no one in her family, which piqued her curiosity about her background even more.

After contacting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, White eventually found her biological mother Joy White by sending her baby photos of herself for Joy to examine. Joy contacted the New York Police Department and the ball rolled from there.

The White family never gave up hope that their long-lost relative would eventually find her way back to the family:

"I have my piece, I have my whole puzzle. I can't make up for the lost time but I can take care of right now, Carlina's dad Carl Tyson told NBC's Today Show.

Meanwhile, if convicted, Pettway faces a sentence of life in prison, a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. .