Biological Parents Get Custody of Switched-at-Birth Girl

The biological parents of switched-at-birth teen-ager Kimberly Mays have been given custody of her by the man who raised her, a lawyer said Saturday.

After a week of negotiations, Ernest and Regina Twigg reached an agreement Friday with Robert Mays, who raised the 15-year-old from birth, said John Blakely, a lawyer for the Twiggs.

“It’s a nice Mother’s Day present for Mrs. Twigg, isn’t it?” Blakely said. “I know the final agreement is acceptable to everyone, including Kimberly.”

Telephone numbers for Mays and the Twiggs are unlisted. A telephone message left Saturday at the office of Mays’ lawyer, Arthur Ginsburg, was not immediately returned.

The girl received a judge’s permission last August to legally stay away from the Twiggs. But in March she suddenly bolted from Mays and went to stay with the Twiggs in Sebring, 85 miles southeast of Tampa. Another lawyer in the case described the reason as typical adolescent conflict.

Under the new agreement, the judge’s order from August was thrown out. Instead, the Twiggs and Mays are recognized as Kimberly’s legal guardians. The teen-ager will live with the Twiggs until she becomes an adult--or asks to leave--and Mays will be allowed to visit, Blakely said.

The baby the Twiggs took home in 1978 was named Arlena. She died of a heart defect in 1988 and medical tests during her illness determined she was not related to the Twiggs. Genetic testing later showed Kimberly was the Twiggs’ biological daughter and the legal tug-of-war began.