Sehighya Smith

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A 9-year-old girl abducted during a supervised visit in Carlisle has been found safe — and this isn’t the first time her mother has taken her, police said on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

Milan Gibson, of Carlisle, was reunited with her guardian after she was located by Susquehanna Township Police around 7:30 p.m., according to the Carlisle Police Department.

She had been reported abducted earlier in the evening by her mother, 32-year-old Sehighya Smith, from a supervised visit at a facility in the 200 block of South Hanover Street. Authorities considered the child endangered due to previous incidents involving Smith’s care.

Smith does not have custody of Gibson and was only permitted supervised visits. She was believed to be traveling in a 2021 black Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback with Pennsylvania license plate MSX7870 before she was found.

Court records show Smith is charged with felony endangering the welfare of children. She was released on $5,000 unsecured bail following a preliminary arraignment on July 14 before Magisterial District Judge Kathryn H. Silcox. Her preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for July 24, is now set for Sept. 4.

This is not the first time Smith has allegedly abducted her daughter. In 2016, when Gibson was an infant, Chicago police issued a missing person alert saying Smith and her then-11-month-old daughter had been missing for more than a week from the city’s South Shore neighborhood. Both were found safe on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016.

Smith’s history also includes an Oct. 8, 2014, arrest in Chicago for domestic battery – physical contact. She was released the next morning. At the time, her listed address was 7130 South East End Avenue, Chicago.

In 2023, Smith appealed the termination of her federal housing-assistance benefits after the McHenry County Housing Authority in Illinois found she repeatedly failed to provide required documentation during eligibility reviews. The Illinois Appellate Court upheld the decision, citing her “persistent refusal” to submit necessary forms and records.