The story of a woman who made headlines as “The Longest Living Jane Doe” is coming to Lifetime in the film Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story.
On Wednesday, the network announced the movie starring Yaya DaCosta (The Lincoln Lawyer, Chicago Med) will debut on April 12.
In addition to DaCosta, the cast includes her real-life sister Djassi DaCosta Johnson, along with Robert Hamilton III, Solace Kimbro Jones, Kadeem Isaiah, and Morgan-Rose Jordan.
Based on the memoir of Monique Smith, the film tells the story of a woman who was abducted as a child and subjected to horrific abuse by the people who raised her.
“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,” Lifetime said in the official description for the film.
In her late 20s, after discovering she lacked proper documentation such as a birth certificate and social security card, Smith began a decades-long search to uncover her true identity.
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Smith’s journey gained national attention when, in 2019, she shared her story in a powerful documentary.
After years of searching, she uncovered her real name—Symbolie—and reunited with her biological family. Washington, D.C. news station WUSA 9 reported on the emotional reunion.
Today, Monique Smith is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, activist, and philanthropist. She uses her platform to raise awareness about missing children, and works to provide education and resources aimed at ending child abductions, according to her website.
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story is produced by Undaunted Content in partnership with GroupM Motion Entertainment.
Tailiah Breon directs from a script by Sylvia Jones. Executive producers include Yaya DaCosta, D’Angela Proctor for Undaunted Content, as well as Richard Foster and Chet Fenster for GroupM Motion Entertainment.
The film premiere Saturday, April 12 at 8/7c on Lifetime.
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