Heartbroken Man went 18 years thinking stolen baby was his own daughter

A dad who spent 18 years believing a 'stolen' baby was his biological daughter today insisted: "She's still my child."

Kamiyah Mobley was allegedly abducted by Gloria Williams, 51, just hours after she was born in 1998.

Williams then convinced former boyfriend Charles Manigo that Kamiyah was their biological daughter and they named her Alexis.

Manigo said his ex-girlfriend Gloria Williams had told him she had given birth to the baby in South Carolina while he was away back in 1998.

But the lie was exposed after 18 years thanks to a series of tip-offs and Williams has now been charged with kidnap.

Kamiyah has since been reunited with her biological parents, Shanara Mobley and Craig Aiken.

Shanara Mobley, Kamiyah Mobley, Craig Aiken

But the man who spent 18 years raising Kamiyah as his own daughter by the name of Alexis today spoke of his heartache.

He told ABC : "One of the hardest things she said on Friday was, 'dad, I love you', even though she knows what's going on.

Kamiyah Mobley, now 18, was found living in South Carolina on Friday living under the name Alexis Manigo. Gloria Williams, 51, was arrested on Friday for kidnapping the girl from Florida

"I talk to her every day. The attention is overwhelming to her. She's still processing everything.

"It's a shock to me, it's a bigger shock to her."

He continued: "She's still my child. I understand what's going on, but she's still my child."

When Williams appeared in court last week, she blew a kiss to the teenager who was in the public gallery .

Kamiyah responded by shouting: "I love you mom."

Mr Aitken previously said he spent every year on his daughter's birthday imagining "how it would be if she were here" and "what we would do if she came came back".

Kamiyah grew up in Walterboro, South Carolina, after being snatched eight hours after her birth in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 10, 1998.

Mr Manigo and Williams raised her from infancy - with neither Kamiyah nor Mr Manigo knowing that they were, in fact, living a lie.

Williams has been charged with kidnapping and was denied bail. She will now be transferred to Florida for further legal proceedings.

Kamiyah was snatched after a woman posing as a nurse entered the hospital room where her mum was staying.

The mystery woman - whom prosecutors allege was Williams - said the baby had a fever and needed to be checked.

The woman took the girl, left the room and fled the hospital.

A week before the kidnapping, Williams is thought to have suffered a miscarriage.

She is reported to have driven three hours from her home in South Carolina to Florida where she allegedly abducted Kamiyah.

The girl's biological mum later sued the hospital – now called UF Health-Jacksonville but known as University Medical Center in 1998 – and received a £1.23 million ­settlement.

It is not known if Kamiyah now plans to live with her biological family.