Two young Black sisters who vanished in Atlanta after their babysitter allegedly failed to return them have been located safe, authorities confirmed Monday following an intensive search that included community members and multiple police units.
Officers discovered four-year-old Zola Cooper and eleven-month-old Norah Cooper inside a trailer in the 2000 block of Sylvan Road after hearing a baby crying during their search. The children's babysitter, Lakesha Brown, was found in the same location. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had issued an Amber Alert for the girls after they went missing, prompting the coordinated response that ultimately led to their recovery.
The situation began Saturday night when their mother, Elica Redding, left her daughters with Brown around ten o'clock. When the babysitter failed to return the children as expected, Brown reportedly told Redding that the group had been in a car accident. Concerned about her children's safety, Redding began contacting local hospitals to verify whether the girls had been brought in for treatment. Finding no record of them anywhere, she called 911 the following evening at approximately ten thirty to report the disappearance.
Family members provided additional details about the hours leading up to the disappearance. According to them, Brown had texted that she was taking the children to Walmart around six o'clock that evening. Shortly thereafter, she claimed she and the girls had been involved in a crash. Communication ceased after that exchange, leaving family members unable to locate Brown or the children.
The circumstances surrounding this case took on deeper significance when investigators learned about Brown's history. Atlanta police confirmed that Brown had been involved in a similar kidnapping case approximately five years earlier in her home state of Alabama. That previous incident involved the disappearance of a four-day-old infant named Kamarion Deshawn Taylor from a home in Fairfield. Brown, then thirty-seven years old, was at the residence as a family friend when the baby vanished while his mother was sleeping. She initially denied knowledge of the child's whereabouts, claiming she had left him in his playpen, but family members later discovered social media posts and videos showing Brown with an infant who appeared to be the missing child. Brown had also posted previously that she had recently given birth to twin boys. She was charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection with that incident, with her bond set at one hundred thousand dollars. Investigators indicated at that time that Brown may have attempted similar crimes previously, though details about those alleged attempts remain unclear.
The information from the Alabama case proved valuable in the search for Zola and Norah, helping investigators focus their efforts and ultimately locate the girls. Authorities have not yet announced the specific charges Brown will face in connection with the current kidnapping. It remains uncertain whether Brown was ever convicted on the Alabama charges or what her current legal status may be.
The case underscores the critical importance of thoroughly vetting childcare providers. Redding discovered Brown through an online parenting group where Brown advertised free services for expectant mothers, a connection many parents might consider trustworthy. The recovery of these two young sisters highlights both the dangers that can exist even within seemingly vetted care arrangements and the value of swift community and law enforcement response.
Source: NewsOne
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