PAULDING COUNTY, GA — An Atlanta babysitter accused of kidnapping two young sisters was previously investigated in Paulding County over an alleged pregnancy scam, according to Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson.
Henson says Lakesha Brown faked a pregnancy and tried to extort money from a man she claimed was the baby’s father.
“She lied throughout the course of our investigation. Falsifying statements about being pregnant even though she was not pregnant,” Henson said.
Brown is also a suspect in the 2021 kidnapping of a 4-day-old baby in Alabama and had an outstanding warrant in that case, according to authorities.
Atlanta police say Brown took 4-year-old Zola Cooper and her 11-month-old sister Norah Cooper while caring for them earlier this week.
The girls were later found safe at an apartment in southwest Atlanta on Monday afternoon. Atlanta police said investigators used technology to track Brown and the children to a location on Sylvan Road. The sisters were taken to the hospital and later reunited with their mother.
A Levi’s Call was issued for Zola and Norah early Monday morning as Atlanta police searched for the sisters.
Henson says Brown was charged with obstruction in the Paulding County case. Brown will face those charges after the kidnapping case in Atlanta.