Mother Seeks Son Abducted Five Days After Birth
Donna Green has spent 48 years searching for her newborn son, who was taken from their Atlanta home in November 1978.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Babies
Raymond Green was abducted from his mother's Atlanta home five days after his birth on November 1, 1978, by a woman who had visited the mother in the hospital. Neither the suspected abductor nor the child has been seen since.
Why it matters
The case remains unsolved nearly five decades later, and the child may not know his real identity. Donna Green's DNA submission to ancestry websites reflects a search method that has become more common in missing-person cases.
The suspected abductor was described as about 5-foot-6 with a medium build and a possible mole on her left cheek, and she was last seen getting into a brown vehicle. The age-progressed image of Raymond was created by NCMEC, though no match has been confirmed.
The players
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
A nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement on missing children cases and created the age-progressed image of Raymond Green.
The details
A woman who identified herself as Lisa Morris struck up a conversation with Donna Green while Donna looked at the newborn through the nursery window at Grady Memorial Hospital. Morris visited over several days, then came to the Atlanta home five days after the birth, stayed about two hours while Donna's brother was present, and left with Raymond after the brother was asked to watch him while Donna showered.
Timeline
November 1, 1978: Raymond Green born at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
About November 6, 1978: Raymond abducted from his home five days after birth.
2018: Donna Green described the events to NCMEC.
2023: NCMEC and GSTV publicized Raymond's disappearance.
2024: Donna Green submitted DNA to ancestry websites.
Legal Context
Using NCMEC's age-progression imagery and consumer DNA databases is now a standard tool in long-running missing-child cases. Donna Green's submission to ancestry websites follows that approach, which has been used to identify other long-missing individuals.
Atlanta families may find the case a reminder to keep recent photos of infants and to register newborns' information with hospitals. Donna Green's annual event at Saint Paul A.M.E. Church continues to raise awareness locally.
The takeaway
Families can reduce the risk of infant abduction by keeping hospital visitors supervised and by never leaving a newborn unattended, even briefly. Documenting newborns with recent photos and footprints can help if a child is ever reported missing.
Further reading
Explore more family coverage in the Babies section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Independent.
