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Lifetime’s movie Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story follows Monique Smith as a young girl who grows up in an unloved and abusive home. After years of abuse and beatings from her mother and relatives, she finally escapes and tries to start a new life in the big city.
However, when she tries to get her birth certificate, she learns that the woman who raised her is not her biological mother. She then realizes that she was kidnapped at a very young age. Monique decides to find her real family, the people who may have missed her for years.
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story will air on Lifetime tonight, April 12, 2024, at 8 pm EST.
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story's official synopsis reads:
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"In this inspiring Ripped from the Headlines story, Monique Smith endured a horrific childhood, only to eventually discover that her abusive family…wasn’t even her family at all! From a young age, Monique always felt out of place in her family. Living in constant fear of abuse from her mother and others, she dreamed of finding people who loved her and a place that truly felt like a home."
It continues:
"Because of the abuse she suffered, she felt she could never embrace her family and especially wanted to know her origin story once she became a mother herself. After realizing she didn’t have proper documentation, including a birth certificate or social security card, she goes on a decades-long search to discover who she really is..."
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story: The true story of Monique Smith explored
According to an article by The U.S. Sun, dated April 12, 2025, Monique Smith was taken from New York by a woman when she was 2 years old. The woman was raised in Baltimore under various names, making her identity hard to trace. She endured years of physical and emotional abuse, including mistreatment by someone she referred to as her uncle.
When Monique became a teenager, she ran away from her home and met some people in Florida, who reportedly tricked her into a human trafficking racket. A woman then sent her to a man who reportedly forced her to do s*x work.
When Monique turned 28, she began searching for the truth and asked her so-called mother for documents. However, the woman refused, stating she didn’t have any real paperwork. Monique then sought help from government agencies and eventually obtained the documents. These documents revealed her real name was different and that she had been raised under a false identity.
Monique reported to the FBI and police that she had been kidnapped as a child, and was later listed as Missing Child No. 129. She put up posters, sent letters to people, and asked for help to find her identity. However, Monique's so-called mother did not reveal the truth until she died.
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story: Where is Monique Smith now? Explored
Monique Smith, also known as the Longest Living Jane Doe, is now around 59 years old and a mother of four. She published her autobiography, I Am The Ancestor: Before I Die, I Must Share My Story, in 2015.
In 2013, Monique started a non-profit organization, called Monique, which works to spread awareness about missing people, especially children, and help families find their lost members. This organization provides resources such as legal aid, emotional support, information related to investigations, and guidance in contacting the police and media.
Monique works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and shares her experiences. She speaks at youth programs, schools, community centers, and conferences, focusing her speeches on self-identity, self-empowerment, and awareness.
Directed by Tailiah Breon and written by Sylvia Jones, Lifetime’s movie Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story stars Yaya DaCosta as Monique Smith, with supporting performances by Robert Hamilton III, Solace Kimbro Jones, Kadeem Isaiah, Morgan-Rose Jordan, and Djassi DaCosta Johnson.
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story will premiere tonight on Lifetime at 8 pm EST.
