Michelle Marie Newton, Marion County, Florida woman discovers 40 years later her mom, Sharon Nealy (real name Debra Leigh Newton) had abducted her as the ‘missing’ woman now reconnects with her dad who last saw his then 3 year old daughter in 1983. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office also release bodycam video of the mom’s arrest from last month.
‘You’re not who you think you are,’ were the stunning words a Florida woman was told when police knocked on her door.
Melissa a 46 year old Florida woman received the shock of her life when officers with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office knocked on her door on last month to be told her mother had been arrested after kidnapping her from their then Kentucky household, leaving the woman’s father wondering for the last 40 plus years what had happened to his 3 year old daughter and his wife, the mother who allegedly kidnapped the toddler girl.
46 year old Florida woman had no idea she had been missing person case
Days earlier, on November 24, Debra Leigh Newton, 66, otherwise known as Sharon Nealy (the alias identity she had adopted after running off with her 3 year old) was arrested at her home in The Villages in Marion County and charged with custodial interference according to Fox35.
In body cam footage released by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office earlier this week, Debra is shocked when deputies pull up at the driveway of her house.
In the video, a friend jokes, ‘They’re coming for you, Sharon!’ — the name Debra had allegedly been using after abducting her then toddler daughter.
After Debra jokes that the deputies were there for her dog, one deputy says to her, ‘We’re here for you, ma’am. We’re definitely here for you.’
The oficer explained that they had a warrant for Debra’s arrest in connection with a missing child case out of Kentucky.
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Debra is heard saying as she was cuffed.
Define identity? Marion County, Florida woman meets man she had no recollection of identified as her father
Shortly after, police arrived at her now 43 year old daughter’s nearby Marion County home to explain that her mom had been arrested and charged with her kidnapping, WFTV9 reported.
In 1983, Melissa’s father, Joe Newton and his then wife Debra were planning a move from Louisville, Kentucky to Georgia where Debra had allegedly scored a new job. Debra left early with their daughter, Michelle, also referred to as Melissa. When Joe arrived at the intended address, they were gone.
Shortly later, over Thanksgiving, Melissa and her father were reunited, News6 reported.
‘She’s always been in my heart,’ Joe Newton told the outlet on Thursday. ‘I can’t explain that moment of that woman walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter.’
Adding, ‘It’s hard to look at her as an adult, when I last seen her when she was a 3-year-old.’
Recalled Melissa of the stunning moment police knocked on her door, ‘You’re not who you think you are. You’re a missing person. You’re Michelle Marie Newton.’
Can split family ever heal after mom’s 40 plus years secret?
For decades, Michelle Newton had no idea she had been listed as a missing persons.
‘I have known for a long time that something was not right, but I’ve never really had answers to that story,’ Michelle told ABC News.
Explained the 43-year-old, ‘My intention is to support them both through this and try to navigate and help them both just wrap it up so that we can all heal and hopefully, you know, there’s just apologies and start healing.’
According to WFTV Debra Newton and her new husband had lived at The Villages for years and were well liked by the community.
Asked if she holds any resentment toward her mother Michelle Newton responded, ‘I think there’s a lot of healing that’s got to happen between my mom and I, and she has an opportunity to connect with family that’s missed her more than she realizes.’
Marion County authorities have since confirmed that Newton’s mom was arrested after being identified through a CrimeStoppers tip.
Sharon Nealy is expected to appear in court on Jan. 23.
