In January 2015, 14-year-old Cassidy Nurse moved to a brand new school in Cape Town, South Africa.
It didn't take her long to make friends. Cassidy was bubbly and outgoing, and she had something in
common with someone who already attended Zwaianzwik High School. Although she didn't know it at the
time. When she was first introduced to 17-year-old Macha Solomon, the two girls felt an instant
connection despite their three-year age difference. Neither girl could explain this connection,
but there was something outwardly clear to the both of them and other girls in their social circle.
Cassidy and Macha bore a striking resemblance to one another. After several weeks of bonding,
talking about their similarities, and taking selfies together, Cassidy finally shared a photo
of her new friend with her parents, Mornay and Celeste. Celeste immediately asked Cassidy a very
important question. What was Macha's birthday? Welcome everyone. This is Dying to be Found The
Dash, and you're listening to the story of Zephanie Nurse. Hi everyone, this is Deb from Dying to be
Found. Before we get started, I just wanted to say that episodes contain disturbing discussions
on harmful acts and crimes against animals and or humankind. Recordings are not intended for young
or sensitive audiences due to the content nature of this podcast. Listener discretion is strongly advised.
Hi everyone, this is Deb, your host from the true crime podcast Dying to be Found. Welcome to my
little mini-series called Dying to be Found The Dash, where I like to bring a little bit of hope
with some inspiring outcomes in these episodes. Today is your lucky day, you get just me, where
even I don't know what to expect until I start editing. In the meantime, be sure to leave a
five-star rating because that really does help with visibility in the podcast world. I mentioned
at the beginning of this episode that Cassidy Nurse and Macha Solomon quickly became friends
at Zwaianzwyk High School, despite their age difference. They even had an ongoing joke where
when people commented on how much they looked alike, they said they were sisters from a different life.
Cassidy later described the very first time she had met Macha after her friends insisted that she
meet the new girl at school. And when she finally did, Cassidy could not believe her eyes. She felt
she was looking in the mirror with a girl three years her senior. Cassidy and Macha instantly
became friends. It wasn't until January 2015 when Cassidy Nurse showed her mother that picture of
herself and her new friend that had recently moved to town and was now attending the same high school.
Celeste took one look at that picture where two teenage girls were smiling and posing, then
immediately asked Cassidy if she happened to know if Macha was born on the 30th of April 1997.
Cassidy did not have an answer right away, but the next time she spoke with Macha, she asked just that.
To her surprise, Macha said yes. Her birthday was the 30th of April 1997.
To get a picture of what happened, we need to rewind back to spring of 1997. Celeste Nurse had
just checked into Groot-Sher Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. If this name sounds familiar,
it should because Groot-Sher Hospital is known for performing the world's very first heart transplant
back in 1967. And here's what happened in 1997. Celeste entered the hospital's maternity ward
and gave birth to a baby girl on April 30th, 1997. The new parents named their daughter
Zephanie. When Celeste lay sleeping, a woman dressed as a nurse quietly entered the maternity
ward, wrapped baby Zephanie up in a blanket, and walked out of the building undetected.
This baby was Zephanie Nurse, or whom we know as Macha Solomon, Cassidy Nurse's new friend at
Zwyanswyk High School. It's not clear how long it was before anyone realized that Zephanie was missing
before her abduction was reported. It's also not clear who reported this incident. What we do know
is that according to family members, this was a very devastating time for Mornay and Celeste Nurse.
The couple had just become new parents, and they were already grieving for the loss of a daughter,
which could only be described as worse than death. Although it was difficult, Mornay and Celeste
continued searching for baby Zephanie endlessly. They also made a conscious effort to celebrate
her birthday on April 30th for the next 17 years. Local businesses even donated a giant birthday cape
to keep Zephanie's name alive. Now that we know that Zephanie and Macha are one and the same,
I will be referencing Zephanie as Macha for the remainder of this episode, as I believe that this
is the name that she has chosen to keep with to this day. Fast forward to January 2015, where
Cassidy had shown her parents Macha's photo. This is where everything changed. Cassidy's parents
couldn't let go of the fact that there was a striking resemblance between Cassidy and Macha.
According to the BBC, Macha was called to the front office at her high school a few weeks after
Cassidy had shown her mother that picture. Two social workers were waiting to speak to Macha
when she reported to her headmaster. Macha was told the unfolding events in detail,
including when she had been abducted from Groutshire Hospital in 1997. Taking all of this in,
Macha was adamant that she wasn't even born at Groutshire. Instead, she told the social workers
that she was born in a completely different hospital not far away and that Retreat Hospital
was listed on her birth certificate. The social workers continued to investigate but found no
record of Macha being born in Retreat Hospital. This is when they asked Macha if she would be
willing to take a DNA test. Macha was hesitant at first, likely due to shock, but also because she
had grown up in a loving household. She adamantly denied that her parents could do anything so
sinister as to kidnap her as an infant. Macha eventually consented and within 24 hours of
providing her DNA, her life was turned upside down. The test had come back positive, confirming that
Macha was not who she thought she was. Instead, Macha had discovered that she was indeed
Zephanie Nurse, who had been abducted from Groutshire Hospital 17 years earlier when she
was just three days old. So let's talk about the events that led up to baby Zephanie's abduction,
who we now know is Macha. According to Michael Solomon, the man Macha grew up knowing as her dad,
his wife Lavona had been pregnant in 1997. After interviewing him extensively, it was clear to
authorities that he knew nothing about this abduction because he was just as distraught as
Macha over the unfolding events and even denied that any of this could be true. As far as Michael
was concerned, Lavona had a normal pregnancy. As the investigation continued, Michael and police
theorized that Lavona had suffered a miscarriage, then covered this up by abducting baby Zephanie
and bringing her home to call her own. This conclusion was reached after Michael explained
that he had returned home one day and Lavona had told him that she had just given birth to Macha
alone at home. It's not clear if Michael was out of town given the fact that Zephanie was three
days old when she was abducted from the hospital. For almost two decades, the nurse family eventually
moved on to have three more children but never gave up looking for their firstborn. Unfortunately,
the nurses eventually divorced but still stayed in touch to celebrate Zephanie's birthday every year
on April 30th. Let's talk about the discovery process. This is not the first time that we've
told a story of child abductions from hospitals here on Dying to Befound the Dash, nor is it the
first time we've mentioned that these children grew up a short distance away or possibly in the
same community as the grieving family. This case is no different. Zephanie grew up as an only child
only three miles or five kilometers away from the nurses. She played on the same soccer field with
her dad just across the street from the nurses' own home. Fast forward to 2015, Mornay Nurse,
Zephanie's biological father, was at a local fast food restaurant when he saw his daughter
Cassidy sitting with her new friend Macha. He could not get past the striking resemblance of
the two girls and decided to contact the police with his suspicions. Macha soon had to face not
only the devastating news that she was abducted, but that the woman that she knew as her mother
had just been arrested to face charges. Macha was eventually reunited with all members in the
nurse family, but that did not mean that she was receptive. After all, she had grown up in a loving
home with two parents whom she still had a lot of love for. Macha did sympathize with the nurse
family, but they were strangers to her. Now, Macha was still considered a minor when she discovered
her true identity. Because she was still 17, Macha ended up living in a safe house after
Lavonna Solomon was arrested and Michael Solomon was being investigated. After Michael was cleared
of any wrongdoing, Macha returned to live with whom she knew as her father as both patiently
awaited the day that Lavonna would one day return home. In August 2015, Lavonna Solomon was sent
before the judge on charges associated with kidnapping and fraudulently claiming to be the
mother of a child. According to the BBC, Lavonna adamantly denied these charges or any wrongdoing.
In fact, Lavonna stated that she was approached at a local train station in 1997 and solicited to
buy an infant for 50 pounds or 62 US dollars. That's 997 pounds or 2,271 US dollars in today's
currency. The person who allegedly approached Lavonna went by the name of Sylvia, who told the
tale that a baby that she had in her possession had been born to a young, unwed mother who was
willing to give the baby up for adoption. According to Lavonna, Sylvia was also prepared to help her
with the baby's birth certificate. The judge considered Lavonna's story of Sylvia and the
incident at the train station to be far-fetched, stating that Lavonna's accounts were simply a
fairy tale that was fabricated by Lavonna after her arrest. As with the birth certificate, there
was no evidence to suggest that Sylvia ever existed. One witness who testified at Lavonna's trial
swore under oath that she had witnessed a woman dressed as a nurse carrying an infant through the
hospital back in 1997 and even positively identified Lavonna as the perpetrator during a lineup at the
police station. Ultimately, Lavonna Solomon was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after being
found guilty of kidnapping, fraud, and violating South Africa's Children's Act. The purpose of the
Children's Act is to protect children's rights and to provide a thorough definition of parental
responsibilities and rights. According to the courts, Lavonna did not uphold her responsibilities
when she claimed to be Maché's biological mother. In July 2022, Lavonna Solomon finally admitted
publicly that she was the mastermind behind Zephanie's kidnapping and was fully responsible
for her abduction in 1997. The nurse family's response to this was that they waited a long time
for this confession. Maché also stated that she had waited just as long to hear the truth.
So what is Maché's take on all of this? After all, she was 17 when she discovered her own true
identity. Maché first struggled between what she knew growing up in a stable household and getting
to know her new family. She contemplated living with her birth mom, Celeste, but in the end decided
against it. Maché visits Lavonna in prison regularly, driving 75 miles or 120 kilometers
one way. On her first visit, Maché confronted Lavonna, asking why she would take a baby from an
innocent family and robbing not only them but Maché of a different path in life. Lavonna held
strong at that time to her innocence of all charges until 2022 when she did finally admit
that she had indeed abducted baby Zephanie in 1997. In January 2023, Lavonna was put up for parole
but was denied. In July 2023, Lavonna will receive another parole hearing, but according to South
Africa's News 24, she will need to undergo a victim-offender dialogue process and other assessments
before she is released. Both the Solomon and nurse families will be allowed to attend any parole
hearings. In 2019, Zephanie wrote a book about her experiences. She pays particular attention to her
relationship with her biological father. In this book, Zephanie states that she's not able to form
a true relationship with Mornay like she was with Michael Solomon. Although the discovery process
was difficult when building a relationship with the nurse family, Maché now has only good things
to say. In part, she recently married and now has two children of her own. Maché openly admits that
being a mom herself has opened her mind to what the nurse family had gone through. She continues
to have a good relationship with Michael Solomon, the man that she knows as her father, and was
cleared of any knowledge or wrongdoing in this case. Maché and Cassidy are just as close now as
they were then when they first met on that fateful day in 2015 when Cassidy was told that she just
had to meet the new girl in school who looked exactly like her.
And that's the story of Zephanie Nurse or as she's known today, Maché Solomon. I would love to know
your thoughts on this storyline, so be sure to DM me on Instagram or better yet, give me a 5 star
review. If you have a storyline you would like to hear specifically on Dying to be Found the Dash,
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