NOT MARIAH: Woman from surveillance photos speaks exclusively to WCTI

JACKSONVILLE, Onslow County - The surveillance photos released overnight by the FBI in the case of missing toddler Mariah Woods appear to be a dead end.

WCTI's Aisha Mbowe spoke exclusively with Jetta Long Wednesday morning.

The 23-year-old Newport woman claims to be the woman in the surveillance photos released overnight. Long said the young girl in the photos that was said could possibly be Mariah is not -- she says it is her daughter.

Long says she does not know the family of the missing girl and says she is frustrated that this "may have gotten the hopes of the family up."

Long's daughter was born with a shortened leg, so she understands how she could have been mistaken for Mariah.

Officials have not yet confirmed that Long is the woman caught on the surveillance video images.

FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said that The Onslow County Sheriff's Office and the FBI have confirmed that the identities of the woman and child in the video do not have any connection to the ongoing investigation to find Mariah.

"The child is not Mariah Woods," Lynch said in an email. "We appreciate the public's assistance providing the information to investigators and for helping us fully investigate to rule this out as a lead to find Mariah."