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We might want to put all those feel-good stories about Carlina White out to dry.
It seems Carlina, who was reunited with her birth family after being raised from infancy by her kidnapper, is having some trouble adjusting.
Should we be surprised?
The Carlina White story has been full of more twists and turns than a backwoods road.
Listening to an interview with her birth mother, Joy White (pictured above), on the 'Today' show reveals that Carlina and her birth family are unfortunately going through a very tough time.
In the heart-wrenching interview, Joy described the joy of reuniting with Carlina after a 23-year separation and explained her new pain, involving the split between Carlina and her birth family.
Carlina, who has refused to grant interviews unless she is paid, seems to be going through an identity crisis: She's torn between Joy and her new family and Ann Pettway, the woman who kidnapped her as an infant, gave her the name Nejdra Nance and raised her as her own daughter.
Pettway surrendered to police last month and faces kidnapping charges. She confessed to taking White from Harlem Hospital as an infant in August 1987.
The infant's disappearance triggered a massive manhunt in New York and a reward was offered for her return.
But it was Carlina who actually solved her own kidnapping with the help of a computer database of missing children.
As sad as it may be for all involved, it is understandable that White is having some problems adjusting to her new world.
She has to harbor resentment against her kidnapper-mother Pettway, but can that resentment wash away 23 years of the mother-daughter bond between them? I don't think so, even if the bond was built on a felony charge of kidnapping.
And now, Carlina is asking some uncomfortable financial questions of Joy White and her birth father, Carl Tyson.
Joy and Tyson received a $750,000 financial settlement from a lawsuit against the city, which runs Harlem Hospital.
On the 'Today' show, Joy said she and Tyson had put aside a portion of the money for their daughter if they found her by the age of 21; Carlina was found at 23.
When Carlina asked Joy what happened to that money, she was told it was spent raising her biological siblings.
How much do you want to bet some longtime friends and Pettway family members are in Carlina's ear asking her why her new family doesn't share some of the cash they received from her disappearance?
Joy said that Carlina has moved back to Atlanta and has been reluctant to have contact with her new family. Carlina has also returned to using the name Nejdra.
This story is becoming a sad mess.
That is why Pettway needs to be dealt the harshest penalty the law can give. She has screwed up Carlina's life, and it's impossible to tell whether she'll ever get through it mentally intact.
And don't forget what Pettway's kidnapping did to Joy White and Carl Tyson. It was about as close to murder as one can commit without producing a cold body: Every day for 23 years, Joy White and Carl Tyson believed their daughter was dead.
Pettway may have raised Carlina as her own child, but she gets no credit points from me for that.
She needs to go to prison for a long while.
Watch Joy White discuss her estranged daughter here:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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- Carlina White Thought Mom Was a Drug Addict
- Carlina White Update: Alleged Baby Kidnapper Ann Pettway Now in Custody
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Comments: (56)
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By: fashionedbygod33 on 2/08/2011 3:08PM
This is sad. I understand that she can possibly be dealing with identity issues. However, if the real root of this is about money I feel sorry for that girl. This is a miracle and to have it reduced to money is really unfortunate. The money was held until she was 21 after that, as time goes on, the chances become even slimmer so they spent the money. Carlina should look at everything in its proper perspective and don't hold this against them. She's only 23, so I guess that may be asking for too much. Hopefully over time, she will re-think her position.
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By: Ellice on 2/08/2011 3:16PM
I totally understand about Carlina having a hard time adjusting to her biological family, however if it's all about the money (past lawsuit and reward) then that's a real shame. If it were me, I wouldn't be worried about money I would be so happy that I found my REAL family. In addition to asking about lawsuit and reward money, she alledgedly only want to do interviews if she get paid, that shows what this is really about for her. she has to understand that she was STOLEN raised by a criminal and child thief with psychological problems. Maybe she doesn't have her life together and that's why she is so concerned with money. I wonder what her "Criminal Mother" did for a living.
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By: 2robynlove on 3/15/2011 5:31PM
Committed crimes..
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By: I Know Everything on 2/08/2011 3:44PM
$750,000. Her parents reportedly took $163,000 each leaving $424,000.Of course there's taxes, but also interest over 23 years which should be pretty sizeable. If held until she was 21 and she was discovered 2 years after at 23, how in the hell did these fools spend $400,000 in 2 years? I have kids and it doesnt cost $400,000 every 2 years to raise them. I would have questions too.
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By: Mika on 2/08/2011 5:19PM
I don't know your financial situation and what world you live in, but $400,000 can be speant very easily. I just paid off my house which was close to $350,000. In addition I paid off my school loans, my kids school tuition, paid off a truck and 2 cars. Don't get me wrong, I didn't spend my capital. I paid every off with interest from investments. So see $400,000 can go quick if it's spent on the right things
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By: DR on 2/08/2011 5:49PM
It really doesn't matter how this woman spent one dime of the money, because no one and I mean no one can possibly understand the pain and torture s mother and father went through with the kidnapping of their child, they deserved that and much more. The daughter although kidnapped suffered no pain according to reports, and actualy has conflicted feelings for her kidnapper, understandbly. But that money did and should have gone to the parents plain and simply. The daughter should file a suit aganinst the kidnapper for restitution for damaging her life. And get some serious counseling, she gonna need it.
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By: Troy Woodson on 2/08/2011 5:56PM
Well 750,000 is not really that much money. The lawyers gets a 1/3 of that money. So the young couple would have to split about 502,500. According to the mother (Joy White),she and her daughter's father (Carl White) had about 163,000 a piece.So let's assume they put the remaining money in a trust fund for their daughter,that would be 176,500. How long would 163,000 last you?
Let's say they invested the 176,500 in a trust fund for Carlina and that money gained interest at 4% annually. The lawsuit was settled in 1992,their daughter turned 21 in 2008. So that's about 16 years of interest @ 4%, that fund would grow to about 289,000. But the IRS, N.Y state and NYC local taxes 40% on the interest earned (112,960) over the course of 16 years. The interest after taxes would be 67,776,add that to the 176,500.Bringing the grand total to 244,276.So that would be 122,138 a piece for mother and father.
How long does that 122,138 last a family of three? In these tough economic times,not very long. You have to factor in education (tuition and school supplies),medical,food,housing,utilities,etc.
If money is the most important thing for the young lady,maybe she should write a book or sell her story to a television network. Her parents did nothing wrong.They had families to take care of and a life to live.
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By: Mimi on 2/08/2011 7:29PM
@ I KNOW EVERYTHING
FIRST OF ALL IT'S TIME YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME.
THE BIOLOGICAL PARENTS ONLY RECEIVED ABOUT $163,000 A PIECE.
A LOT OF YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT JOY WRIGHT (THE BIOLOGICAL MOTHER) PROBABLY EXPERIENCED A LOT OF EMOTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE FACT THAT SOMEONE STOLE HER BABY AFTER GIVING BIRTH.
I BELIEVE SHE HAD SOME DEEP EMOTIONAL ISSUES AND SHE PROBABLY WENT THROUGH A LOT OF THERAPY TO COPE WITH THE THEFT OF HER CHILD THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
AND THAT COST MONEY.
AS FAR AS THE MONEY THAT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE FOR THE CHILD ONCE SHE TURNED 21....THAT WAS THE PARENTS WHO THOUGHT TO PUT THE MONEY UP FOR HER.
THERE WAS NO COURT ORDER THAT STATED THAT THEY WERE REQUIRED TO DO SO.
THE PARENTS WERE THE ONES THAT DECIDED TO PUT THE MONEY UP FOR CARLINA IF SHE WERE FOUND PRIOR TO 21.
I CAN SOMEWHAT FEEL WHAT JOY WRIGHT IS TRYING TO SAY. I THINK WE ALL CAN SEE WHAT IS GOING ON.
JOY IS BASICALLY SAYING THAT THIS IS HER CHILD AND HER CHILD WAS RAISED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT RIGHT.
THEY ARE SHADY PEOPLE AND HER DAUGHTER HAS SOME OF THEIR QUALITIES BECAUSE THAT'S THE FAMILY SHE GREW UP IN.
IT APPEARS CARLINA IS BEING LED ASTRAY BY HER NON BIOLOGICAL FAMILY.
I REALLY THINK THAT THIS STORY SHOULD AND PROBABLY WILL BE MADE INTO A MOVIE...PERHAPS A LIFETIME MOVIE.
I AM SURE THERE WILL BE AT LEAST A COUPLE OF BOOKS GENERATED FROM THIS STORY.
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By: Just a thought on 2/08/2011 3:59PM
The child was raised by a shady person in an unethical manner. Of course, the child now a young lady has grown up with an immoral aptitude imposed on her by the woman who raised her. The fact that she found out she was kidnapped poses a question. Someone within the kidnappers own family had to be a snitch and told the young woman for her to search this out, and this could have been motivated by money. I hope Nejdra/Carlina seeks Jesus in her life to sort this all out.
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By: Mika on 2/08/2011 5:00PM
I don't know your financial situation and what world you live in, but $400,000 can be speant very easily. I just paid off my house which was close to $350,000. In addition I paid off my school loans, my kids school tuition, paid off a truck and 2 cars. Don't get me wrong, I didn't spend my capital. I paid every off with interest from investments. So see $400,000 can go quick if it's spent on the right things
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