Shivangi Sinha
Lifetime’s ‘Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story’ traces the journey of the titular character, a young girl raised in an abusive household where she is never truly loved. After enduring years of mistreatment from her mother and relatives, she finally escapes and tries to build a life of her own in a big city. Despite carving out a place for herself, she feels a persistent emptiness. While attempting to obtain her birth certificate, she finds out that the woman who raised her isn’t her biological mother. Monique learns she had been kidnapped as a baby. Determined to find her real family and the people who might have been longing for her, she sets out on an emotional journey, seeking both answers and long-overdue closure. Directed by Tailiah Breon, the film is a powerful and unexpected tale of resilience and identity.
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story is Based on the Life of a Woman From Baltimore
The premise of ‘Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story’ is so emotionally intense that it’s hard to imagine one person enduring such pain. Yet, the film is a true biopic, written by Sylvia L. Jones, and based on the real-life experiences of Monique Smith. Yaya DaCosta delivers a powerful performance as Monique, bringing emotional depth and authenticity to the role. Her portrayal allows viewers to truly grasp the weight of Monique’s journey and the unimaginable strength it took to survive it. In an interview, director Tailiah Breon shared that it was the story itself that compelled her to tell it. She explained that the idea of rewriting your own story and emerging stronger is something universally resonant. That theme of reclaiming your identity and overcoming hardship is what gives the film its emotional power and makes it deeply special.
Monique grew up in West Baltimore, Maryland—a place she describes as a far cry from the idealized image of a happy childhood. In later interviews, she claimed that her mother was physically abusive and harbored a deep resentment toward her. Monique also alleged that she was sexually assaulted by several family members, including her mother’s brothers and others within the household. At the age of 18, she left that environment behind and moved to Florida, determined to build a life for herself. However, her early years there were marked by hardship as she became involved in sex work and later became a mother. Over time, she found more stable employment, but by the time she reached her late 20s, a lingering question began to surface: why had her mother never given her a copy of her birth certificate? She got married, had more kids, and even got divorced, but the thought did not leave her.
Monique Smith Knocked on Many Doors to Find Her True Identity
Monique Smith shared that she often feared she’d never be able to prove that her children were legally hers because she didn’t have access to her own birth certificate. This concern led her to reach out to the Board of Education and the Social Security Administration, where she discovered several alarming discrepancies. She had multiple Social Security cards—each issued under a different name and listing a different year of birth. Soon, she realized that the woman who raised her wasn’t her biological mother at all and that she had been kidnapped. As she began reaching out to people from her early childhood, they recalled that she had been brought to Baltimore around the age of one. Her “mother” had then moved to the Bronx, New York, for a few years before returning, and from that point on, Monique had been living with her and her family.
Monique refused to give up on her search for the truth. She tapped into every resource available, submitting her DNA to missing person databases and genetic genealogy websites. She also reached out to the Salvation Army’s Missing Persons Program and worked closely with various law enforcement agencies. Her determination led her to dig through hospital and adoption records, though those searches turned up nothing. In her pursuit, she even contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and hired private investigators and attorneys to assist her. She was assigned Missing Child Number 1201258. After years of relentless effort, a breakthrough finally came when a police officer from Maryland reached out. Genetic genealogist CeCe Moore had identified DNA matches that ultimately led to the discovery that Monique was the biological daughter of Margaret Conyers. Additionally, she soon found out her birth name — Simboli Ruffin.
The Lifetime Film Neatly Packages All Aspects of Monique’s Life
Monique Smith is now a proud mother of four and has become widely known as “The Longest Living Jane Doe.” Now around 59 years old, she has transformed her painful past into a powerful platform for advocacy and healing. Her story became the subject of the documentary ‘The Longest Living Jane Doe,’ and in 2015, she published her memoir ‘I Am The Ancestor: Before I Die, I Must Share My Story.’ In 2013, she founded Known as Monique, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about missing persons, especially children, and helping families in their search for their loved ones. The organization offers resources such as legal aid, emotional support, connections to investigative tools, and guidance on how to engage with law enforcement and the media.
Monique also works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, contributing her insight as someone who has lived through the very nightmare that many families fear. She regularly speaks at youth programs, schools, community centers, and conferences and focuses on self-empowerment, identity, and the importance of advocacy. For Monique, justice isn’t only about her own past. It’s about ensuring that others don’t fall through the cracks. That belief continues to drive her mission and has turned her painful experience into a source of strength, hope, and action for so many others still searching for their truth.
‘Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story’ captures Monique’s journey in a vibrant, emotional narrative that’s sure to leave viewers teary-eyed. It handles sensitive topics with care while portraying Monique not as a victim but as a woman with strength and agency. Just like in real life, she’s shown fighting to uncover the truth and reclaim her identity. Though her sisters live in different cities, she stays in touch with them. It is in them, her children, and her work, that she’s finally found peace, belonging, and contentment.
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