Zephany Nurse

Zephany Nurse (Miché Solomon)[1] (born 28 April 1997), is a South African woman who was abducted from Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa on 30 April 1997, when she was two days old. Nurse was reunited with her biological parents, Morne and Celeste Nurse, 17 years later after DNA tests confirmed her identity.[2][3]

Zephany Nurse
Born
Zephany Nurse

(1997-04-28)28 April 1997
Cape Town, South Africa
Disappeared30 April 1997
Groote Schuur Hospital
StatusFound (February 2015)
Other namesMiché Solomon
Parent(s)Morne Nurse (father)
Celeste Nurse (mother)

Kidnapping

Celeste Nurse delivered Zephany on 27 April 1997 by caesarean section in the Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Celeste described a person in a nurse's uniform comforting her while her baby was still in the nearby cot, before falling asleep. When Celeste had woken up, a nurse kept asking her where the baby was, and at this point she realized that Zephany had been taken.[4] The hospital contacted the police for assistance in searching the hospital; however only a few untraceable items were found, including Zephany's baby nest, a baby garment, and a handbag with no identifiable items. A pillow was found in a tunnel that was intended to provide women in labour direct access to the ward from the street. The tunnel also provided access to the old main building, psychiatric department and out-patient section, which at the time had unrestricted access.[4]

The Nurse family believe the kidnapper took precautions to move through the ward unnoticed. The pillow was probably used to fake a pregnancy, as no one questions a pregnant woman moving around in a maternity ward. The woman, now dressed as a nurse in maroon pants and oatmeal top, made an effort to befriend the mothers in the ward. One of the expectant mothers, who remembered the kidnapper's face, had spoken to her briefly. On another occasion, this same mother found her holding her baby, and when questioned the woman replied that the baby had been crying and she was comforting it.[4] In a later interview Celeste Nurse said: "Her intention was to steal a child, she didn't care which child it was."[4] Five days after Zephany's birth, the Nurse family went home without their daughter.[4]

Celeste Nurse clung to the hope that what happened was not real, or a kind of sick joke and that someone would bring her daughter. "We came home to nothing." [4] Every year since the kidnapping, the Nurse family would celebrate Zephany's birthday on 28 April, in an attempt to keep the search for her in the media. Celeste has also given a number of interviews, many at times when other kidnappings have occurred, always offering support to the affected families.[2][5]

In at least two instances the Nurse family were given hope that their daughter would be returned home. One woman, whose neighbors had not noticed her pregnancy, was investigated by the police, however while the child closely resembled the missing Zephany, it was a boy. In another instance, after almost 12 years of no news, in July 2009 the Nurses received a phone call in which a woman whispered, "I know about your daughter," and asked for 500,000 South African Rand (approx US $70,000 in 2009[6]) to be delivered at a prearranged place. Police were contacted, and the drop off monitored, however no one arrived to collect the money. The call was later traced to Glenda Doubell, a neighbor of Celeste Nurse's mother, who was charged with extortion and was given 3 years house arrest, ZAR 5,000 fine and 600 hours community service.[4][5]

Finding Zephany

The Nurses' second daughter, Cassidy Nurse, started at a new school where Zephany, now aged seventeen, coincidentally was also in attendance under the name Miché Solomon. Friends of Zephany commented on the uncanny resemblance between the two girls, and despite their 4-year age difference, they formed an almost immediate friendship. Once Morne Nurse heard about the physical similarities between the two girls, he arranged with Cassidy to meet Zephany at a local takeaway. After this first meeting, Morne contacted the investigating officer in the disappearance of Zephany.[7][8]

The police began an investigation and, after Zephany's parents could not provide proof of her birth, DNA tests were conducted. The results were conclusive that Zephany was in fact the Nurses' child, and she was removed to a place of safety by the Department of Social Services. The Nurse family were granted visitations, and apparently Zephany was already calling them mother and father at this time.[7][8] In March 2016, a woman, who was not named for legal reasons, was convicted of the abduction.[9] In August 2016, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison; her name was still withheld "to protect the identity she gave to [the] baby."[10]

Identity revealed

Zephany Nurse, whose new name was kept a secret for five years, applied for the ban restricting the publication of her real name (Miché Solomon)[1] to be lifted, which was granted by the high court in Pretoria on 13 August 2019.[11] Hours after the ban was lifted, Zephany announced that her book entitled Zephany: Two mothers, one daughter, an astonishing true story[12] would hit shelves. Miché Solomon,[1] as she is now called after the high court ruling on 13 August 2019,[11] dedicated the book to both mothers in an article by Times Live.[13] Her kidnapper was identified as Lavona Solomon.[14]

References
  1. "IN PICTURES | SA finally gets to see the young woman known as Zephany Nurse". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  2. Lynsey Chutel (27 February 2015). "South Africa: Parents Find Daughter 17 Years After Kidnap". ABC News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. Aislinn Laing (27 February 2015). "Baby stolen from sleeping mother's arms in hospital reunited after 17 years". Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. Bianca Capazorio; Leila Samodien (20 February 2010). "Search for daughter never-ending". IOL. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. Esther Lewis (29 April 2011). "14 candles for missing Zephany". IOL. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  6. "US Dollar to South African Rand Exchange Rate History: 30 December 2009 (30th December 2009)". www.exchangerates.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  7. "Finding Zephany". Carte Blanche. 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  8. David Raven (27 February 2015). "Kidnapped newborn baby finds parents 17 years later after meeting identical sister at school". Mirror Online. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. "SA baby snatcher mother guilty". BBC News. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  10. "South African baby-snatcher sentenced to 10 years in jail". Reuters. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  11. "JUST IN: Zephany Nurse wins right to have her identity made public | IOL News". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  12. https://www.timeslive.co.za/authors/nb-publishers. "The story of Zephany Nurse, who grew up believing she was Miché Solomon". TimesLIVE. NB Publishers. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  13. "'It gets confusing': Zephany dedicates new book to her two mothers". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  14. BBC News,"The selfie that revealed I was a stolen baby" October 27,2019
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