Girl Sees Her Carbon Copy in School and Tells Parents, Later Takes a DNA Test

In 2015, a teenager was left in shock after she was informed that she was stolen from the hospital at birth, and her look-alike at school was, in fact, her younger sister. Here's the whole story.

When other excited students kept telling Miché that she shared a striking resemblance with a new student, who was three years younger, she did not give much thought to it.

"She looks just like you. You must see her!" Miché was excitedly told.

It was the first day of her final year at Zwaanswyk High School in Cape Town, South Africa, and Miché did not seek out her carbon copy. But then, when she saw the student, Cassidy Nurse, she knew she was the girl everyone had been talking about.

Not only did the pair have an uncanny resemblance, but they also shared an instant connection. During an interview with BBC, Miché said:

"I almost felt like I knew her. It was so scary - I couldn't understand why I was feeling like this."

Not long after, Cassidy and Miché became close friends, despite their age difference. They would refer to each other as "big sis" and "little sis;" the girls obviously shared a bond nobody could understand.

People often joked, noting that Cassidy and Miché looked like sisters, and the latter would reply, "maybe in another life."

However, they did not realize that they were truly biological sisters. Growing up in a happy and normal household, Miché felt loved by her parents, Michael, and Lavona Solomon. She felt safe to the point that she could never think of her mother as a liar.

As time went on, Miché and Cassidy grew closer. One day, they hung out together after school, and like most teenagers, they took a selfie and showed it to their friends. Some of the students asked Miché if she was certain she was not adopted, and the teen replied that she wasn't.

Eventually, the teenagers went home and showed the snapshot to their families. Lavona commented on how similar the girls looked, and Michael said he recognized Cassidy because her dad owned an electrical store he had been to.

On the other hand, Cassidy's parents, Celeste and Morphe Nurse, looked closely at the picture. Then they told their daughter to ask Miché if she was born on April 30, 1997, which Cassidy did. Although Miché was confused, she confirmed that the date was indeed when she was born.

The social workers revealed they had strong reasons to believe that Miché was the kidnapped child.

The girls carried on with their friendship, but a few weeks later, Miché's world imploded. She was called from her math lesson into the headmaster's office, with two social workers waiting to speak to her.

Miché was told about Zephany Nurse, a three-day-old baby girl kidnapped from Groote Schuur Hospital 17 years prior and was never found. She was perplexed and wondered how the story concerned her. At that point, the social workers revealed they had strong reasons to believe that she was the kidnapped child.

Miché did not believe their story. She told the social workers she was born at the Retreat Hospital, not Groote Schuur Hospital. However, they explained that no records showed she was born there. After a while, Miché finally agreed to do a DNA test.

Miché had faith in her mother and was positive that the DNA result would confirm her claims. She told BBC:

"I had so much belief in the mother who raised me - she would never lie to me, especially about who I am and where I came from. So my mind was made up that the DNA test was going to be negative."

The next day, Miché's worst fears came true. The DNA result showed that, indeed, she was the kidnapped baby from 1997. She was shocked to the bones, and she could not understand what was happening.

It was only a matter of time before the news went viral, and Miché was taken to a safe house as she was not 18 yet. While at the safe house, Lavona was arrested, and the news broke Miché. She needed to speak to her mother and get answers. Sadly, it was not possible.

She could not get answers from her dad either as no evidence relating Michael to the abduction was found. So she was left to deal with the emotional turmoil on her own. She was taken to meet Celeste and Morne, who never stopped looking for their daughter, even though they had three other children.

During their reunion, Miché hugged her biological parents, but she felt uncomfortable. The pair were total strangers, and she felt no connection or attachment to them. However, she had to say the right thing to Celeste and Morne, whose prayers were finally answered.

In the end, Lavona was charged with kidnapping, fraud, and violating the child's act. The woman pleaded not guilty, revealing she had struggled to conceive for a long time. In 2016, she was sentenced to ten years in prison.

In search of answers, Miché went to visit Lavona in prison. Although the latter did not give the teenager an explanation, Miché forgave her mother. She did not move in with her biological family but tried to connect with them.

Miché still visits Lavona in prison in Worcester while she awaits her release a few years from now.

Questions to Ponder

Do you think Lavona should have told Miché about her identity at a young age?

Lavona had tried to get pregnant for several years and finally got the opportunity to be a mother through Miché. To her, telling Miché about her identity might have broken their relationship so she kept the truth from her. However, when the truth finally revealed itself, Miché's trust in Lavona was broken, having been lied to for almost two decades. If Lavona came clean with Miché from the beginning, do you think Miché would have forgiven her then?

Should Lavona have received a lighter sentence, considering her reason for the abduction?

Even though Lavona had been through a lot in the past, she showed no remorse for her actions during the trial. Miché received the best treatment from her mother, and being a kidnapped child did not deprive her of Lavona's love. Still, this does not justify abducting a child. What do you think?

If you liked this story, here’s another one about how a father is shattered after the DNA test he took on his birthday reveals his two kids are not his.

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