Atlanta police rescued two young girls from a sweltering trailer after their babysitter allegedly abducted them. Lakesha Brown, 42, was apprehended by officers who heard a child crying from inside the trailer parked in a lot under intense heat.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Zola Cooper, 4, and her 11-month-old sister, Norah, after their mother, Elicia Redding, reported them missing. Redding stated she had hired Brown, a new babysitter, to watch the girls and that Brown failed to return them at the agreed-upon time Saturday evening. The girls were last seen with Brown around 6 p.m. Saturday.
An investigation led officers to a location approximately five miles from where the girls were last seen, based on Brown's cellphone data. Upon arrival at the trailer around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, roughly 14 hours after they were reported missing, officers heard a child crying.
Body camera footage documented the rescue, showing officers breaking into the trailer with a cinder block and then bolt cutters. The girls were passed to officers and brought to safety. Inside the trailer, temperatures reportedly reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit, and investigators described the conditions as "unclean and unsuitable."
Both Zola and Norah were reunited with their mother and found to be in good health, according to the Atlanta Police Department. Brown was taken into custody and charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children. She is being held at the Fulton County Jail.
Jail records indicate Brown faces additional outstanding warrants in Paulding County, Georgia, and Jefferson County, Alabama. In 2021, Brown was accused of kidnapping a four-day-old infant in Alabama. After allegedly agreeing to help the newborn's mother, she disappeared with the baby, who was later recovered safely. Brown pleaded not guilty in that case, missed a scheduled trial, and failed to appear in court.
In Paulding County, Brown is facing charges related to obstructing a police investigation and lying to detectives concerning a welfare check on a baby she allegedly gave birth to in August 2025. During a search of her home, officers found a package of diapers with some missing, which Brown claimed were for a six-month-old boy. She denied recently giving birth, despite evidence such as photos and texts suggesting otherwise. Two burn barrels were also noted in the yard, though no direct connection to the missing infant was explicitly made in the police report.
Alabama prosecutors have requested Brown's extradition to face the 2021 kidnapping charge. It remains unclear if Paulding County officials will also seek her transfer.