‘Her infectious smile will forever remain in our hearts’
A woman who was snatched from her cot in hospital as a newborn baby has died of a brain tumour three decades later.
Abbie Humphries’ disappearance stunned the world and sparked a nationwide hunt as she was snatched from her cot at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham when she was three hours old.
A woman posing as a nurse kidnapped Abbie from the hospital and the infant wasn’t found until 16 days later as the police visited a house in the Nottingham suburb of Wollaton.
The youngster was not made aware of her disappearance until she was ten years old when she found press cuttings and a message from the late Princess Diana whom she shared a birthday with.
Since then, she has become a champion swimmer, worked as a flight attendant, worked in IT and married her teen sweetheart Karl Sundgren.
However, on Sunday, her husband confirmed she had lost her battle with brain cancer aged 30.
In a post on Facebook he wrote: “Our beautiful Abbie peacefully passed away yesterday, surrounded by loved ones. She fought so hard with so much strength and grace for over four years and can finally rest.
“We will be celebrating her life on Saturday 14 December from 2pm at the Sundgren house in Whenuapai. Please feel free to join us. Abbie was so strong, and her infectious smile will forever remain in our hearts.”
A drama called The Secrets She Keeps, loosely based on Abbie’s case was broadcast in 2020 when Abbie was 26.
It was only then that she realised the severity of her disappearance.
Abbie was taken by a former dental nurse called Julie Kelley. Neighbours became suspicious of the woman after she had told everyone she was pregnant and expecting a baby boy before she returned home with a girl.
Kelley pleaded guilty to abducting Abbie and was put on probation for three years and treated for a severe personality disorder.
Reports from the time say she faked the pregnancy to stop her boyfriend from leaving. She went on to have a family of her own.
Abbie’s mum Karen passed away in 2020 of breast cancer not long after the family moved to New Zealand to start a new life.
A year later, Abbie was diagnosed with a brain tumour and given just a year to live. She lived nearly four years until her passing on Sunday.
