New York ( CNN ) -- A woman who admitted to stealing a 19-day-old infant from a Manhattan hospital in 1987 was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison . Ann Pettway , who pleaded guilty in February to one count of kidnapping , expressed remorse in a brief statement to the federal court in Manhattan . `` I would like to apologize to the family , '' Pettway told U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel . `` I am deeply sorry for what I 've done . If they do n't accept it , it 's understandable , '' said Pettway , adding , `` I 'm here today to right my wrong and ask for forgiveness . '' According to prosecutors , the parents of the baby girl , named Carlina Renae White , had taken her to Harlem Hospital on August 4 , 1987 , because she had a fever . Early the following day , hospital personnel discovered the baby was gone . For 23 years Pettway raised the girl under another name and as her own child , prosecutors said . In January 2010 , when the victim sought to get prenatal care during her own pregnancy , she had difficulty getting a birth certificate from Pettway , prosecutors said . The victim became suspicious and contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children . DNA confirmed she was Carlina White , the daughter of Carl Tyson and Joy White . Pettway turned herself in to the FBI in Bridgeport , Connecticut , shortly after the victim , now in her mid-20s , was reunited with her birth parents . Pettway , now 50 , told authorities she took the baby because she had suffered two stillborn births , one just months before the abduction . The birth parents both read statements Monday during Pettway 's sentencing hearing . `` I never had a chance to put my daughter on a school bus , '' said Carl Tyson , making direct eye contact with Pettway . `` What they should give you is 23 years for what you took from me . '' A teary-eyed Joy White told a packed courtroom , `` I only spent 19 days with ( her daughter ) from birth , and those were the most memorable days of my life . '' Both parents admit to difficulties trying to get to know their now-adult daughter . Judge Castel recommended Pettway serve her sentence in facilities in Danbury , Connecticut , or Tallahassee , Florida , where she could participate in mental health programs . In addition to 12 years in prison , Pettway was also sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay a $ 100 special assessment fee .
A 19-day-old infant disappeared from a Manhattan hospital in 1987 . Prosecutors say she was taken by a woman who raised the child under a different name . The victim became suspicious as an adult , and DNA tests established her true identity . Score: 7