JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kamiyah Mobley was stolen when she was just 8 hours old from a Jacksonville hospital in 1998.
Her eventual discovery in 2017 stunned the First Coast and made international headlines. It was turned into a Lifetime movie and she appeared on a reality TV show with her father, Craig Aiken.
Kamiyah turned 25 years old on July 10 and wants a fresh start.
"Kamiyah don't want to be known as the kidnapped child," Aiken said. "She doesn't want to be known as the victim."
Aiken, Kamiyah's biological father, wrote a book titled Self Therapy detailing the moments before, during and after his daughter's kidnapping.
"It wasn't always easy days trying to get to know her, there were days when I didn't know what to say to her," Aiken said.
For years doubt and suspicion loomed over him following the kidnapping.
“I was a scapegoat," Aiken said. "They had no answers. They had no leads. The news came on like this 'Baby Kamiyah has been kidnapped.' Two seconds later, the father been to jail for drugs, the father's in jail for this, the father did this the father did that. The focus was on me!"
Aiken says his book, Self Therapy helped him heal from the bitterness he felt toward Gloria Williams, the woman who stole his baby, and the grief he felt over the shooting death of his youngest son, Craivon in early March.
"Even though my son has been killed I carry him around with me everywhere I go," Aiken said.
He dedicated the book to Craivon, his seven other children, wife Shannon, his close family, and friends.
"It still hurts today," Aiken said. "The hardest part about writing the book was recapping what happened. How I got through this situation was blocking it out of my mind. Not letting it take me down."
The bond Aiken now shares with his daughter Kamiyah six years after meeting her face to face is obvious to anyone who spends time with the pair that bear a strong resemblance.
"From that first day to now having her call me daddy it's something I'm proud of," Aiken said. "I wear it like a badge."
Kamiyah now lives and works in Jacksonville. Aiken believes she's choosing to bury her pain and says she refuses to show emotion, but he fears the trauma at some point will be too much for her to hide.
"That's why I'm trying to be there because when it hits her, I want to be there to catch her," Aiken said. "I want to be there to help her because I know it's going to happen. You can only put this stuff down for so long."
"What do you know about the relationship between Kamiyah and Gloria Williams at this point," GMJ Anchor, Keitha Nelson asked Aiken.
"We don't talk about it," Aiken said. "I don't know if she still talks to her. She works, be at my house, go home. I asked for 18 years, and she got it."
In 2022 Williams asked a judge to cut her 18-year prison sentence in half. A judge denied her request. But Kamiyah did ask the judge to show the woman who raised her mercy.
Kamiyah's relationship with her birth mother, Shanara Mobley, is also complicated.
"Craig what do you know about the current status of Shanara and Kamiyah's relationship," Nelson asked.
"I can't say they're on the best terms," Aiken said. "I can't say that they're on bad terms. They're not talking much. Let's put it that way."
Aiken insists he's no longer hung up on the drama surrounding his daughter's kidnapping and his focus is now solely on the ones he loves.
"My kids are going to keep me laughing," Aiken said. "They love me, and I love them and it's just very exciting to have all of them together. My family is complete. We came a long way in this relationship. And I think where we are today is the best place we can be."
Aiken says neither he nor Kamiyah have gone through therapy to help cope with the kidnapping. But the father of eight and grandfather of 12 tells FCN his book, Self Therapy has been a step in the right direction to help him heal.
Self Therapy is available on Amazon.