Imagine coming home from the hospital with a newborn, head over heels in love, only to find out a decade later that the baby in the cradle wasn't yours. It sounds like a Lifetime movie plot, doesn't it? But for the families of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg, this was a living, breathing nightmare that played out in front of the entire world.
The story started in 1978 at Hardee Memorial Hospital, a small facility in Wauchula, Florida. It was a sleepy town. You'd think a hospital there would be the safest place in the world. Yet, in the span of a few days, two baby girls were born—and somehow, their ID tags were swapped.
One baby went home with Bob and Barbara Mays. They named her Kimberly. The other went home with Ernest and Regina Twigg. They named her Arlena. For nine years, nobody had a clue.
The Heartbreak That Uncovered the Truth
Everything changed because of a tragedy. Arlena Twigg was born with a serious congenital heart defect. She was a fighter, but her health was always fragile. In 1988, while preparing for surgery, doctors ran routine blood tests.
The results were impossible.
Arlena’s blood type didn't match Ernest or Regina’s. It was biologically impossible for her to be their child. Can you imagine that moment? You're already terrified for your daughter's life, and then a doctor tells you she isn't even yours. Arlena sadly passed away during that surgery at just nine years old, never knowing the truth.
The Twiggs were devastated. They had lost a daughter, and now they had a new, haunting realization: their biological child was out there somewhere, living with strangers.
The Search for Kimberly Mays
The Twiggs didn't just sit back. They went on a mission. They eventually traced the hospital records back to Kimberly Mays. At the time, Kimberly was living a quiet life with her father, Bob Mays. Her "mother," Barbara, had passed away from ovarian cancer when Kimberly was just a toddler.
When the Twiggs first showed up, Bob Mays fought them tooth and nail. Honestly, who wouldn't? He’d raised this girl for nearly a decade. She was his world. Eventually, he agreed to a DNA test on one condition: the Twiggs had to promise not to seek custody if the results were positive.
The tests came back. Kimberly was the Twiggs' biological daughter.
A Legal Battle That Tore Families Apart
Things got messy fast. The Twiggs eventually broke their promise and sued for custody, leading to one of the most famous legal battles in American history. It was a circus. You had the Twiggs claiming Bob Mays must have known about the switch—or worse, orchestrated it—because Barbara had been struggling with fertility.
On the other side, you had a teenage girl who didn't know these people. Kimberly was 14 when she did something unprecedented.
She sued to "divorce" her biological parents.
She sat in a courtroom and told a judge she wanted nothing to do with the Twiggs. It was brutal to watch. The judge eventually ruled in her favor, terminating the Twiggs' parental rights and allowing her to stay with the man she called Dad.
📖 Related: Fatal Accident on 79 Today: What Really Happened in the Mercer County Pileup
Was It Actually a Conspiracy?
For years, rumors swirled that the switch wasn't an accident. A former nurse’s aide, Patsy Webb, eventually claimed on her deathbed that she’d been ordered by a doctor to swap the babies. She claimed the hospital staff felt sorry for Barbara Mays and wanted her to have the "healthy" baby.
However, many experts point out that Barbara wasn't even diagnosed with cancer until over a year after the birth. The timeline doesn't really fit. Whether it was a horrific mistake by a tired nurse or a deliberate act remains one of the biggest "what-ifs" in medical history.
Where is Kimberly Mays Now?
Life after the cameras stopped rolling wasn't easy. Kimberly’s life has been a rollercoaster. After winning her "divorce" from the Twiggs, she actually ended up running away and moving in with them for a short period when she was 16. It didn't last.
She eventually left both families, struggling to find her own identity. According to interviews she gave years later, including a notable sit-down with Barbara Walters, Kimberly has lived a life far from the "settled" image people expected. She’s been married, divorced, had six children, and worked various jobs to make ends meet.
So, what can we take away from this?
The case of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg changed how hospitals handle newborn security forever. Today, we have electronic bracelets and strict "matching" protocols that make this almost impossible.
If you are ever looking into your own family history or using DNA kits like 23andMe, here is some practical advice:
- Prepare for the Unexpected: DNA testing often reveals "non-paternal events" or family secrets. Always have a support system ready.
- Know Your Rights: The Mays case set a precedent for "children's rights" in the U.S. legal system regarding who they consider family.
- Check Hospital Records: If you have genuine concerns about a birth error, medical records and blood type comparisons are the first place to start before jumping to expensive legal action.
The human heart doesn't care about DNA as much as it cares about who was there to tuck you in at night. That's the real lesson here.
Next Steps for You:
If you're interested in the legal side of this, I can explain the specific "Gregory K." case that inspired Kimberly's lawsuit, or we can look into the current safety protocols hospitals use to prevent baby swaps today.