Woman Who Kidnapped 2 Atlanta Sisters Has Prior Cases, Alledgedly Faked Pregnancy
Lakesha Brown, 42, has previously been tied to a kidnapping case involving an infant, and she was accused of faking a pregnancy in another case.
Black News 
New details have been reported regarding the woman accused of kidnapping two young girls in Atlanta over the weekend, after serving as their babysitter, or, according to an arrest warrant, posing as one.
According to WWNYTV 7 News, 42-year-old Lakesha Brown has been charged with kidnapping and cruelty to children. Brown was scheduled to make her first court appearance on Tuesday, but she waived that right just hours before the Atlanta Police Department released body camera footage of her arrest and the rescue of 4-year-old Zola Cooper and her sister, 11-month-old Norah Cooper.
The footage shows a police officer using bolt cutters to remove a lock on the door of a trailer, revealing the children and Brown inside. The officers took the children out of the trailer, then took Brown into custody.
As we previously reported, Brown met the girl’s mother, Elica Redding, in an online mom group, which officials confirmed was a “pregnancy mom group” on Facebook, according to the arrest warrant. Police said Brown spent the past year building a relationship with Redding and earning her trust. Redding reportedly told investigators that she “presented herself as part of a support system that assisted mothers with babysitting and related services.”
Police also confirmed that Brown has an outstanding warrant from a 2021 arrest in Alabama for allegedly kidnapping another infant, a 4-day-old baby, who she allegedly took after posing as a babysitter on social media. We reported Monday that Brown was previously accused of kidnapping then-4-day-old Kamarion Deshawn Taylor, after his mother fell asleep in their home. She was charged with first-degree kidnapping. At the time of her arrest, Kamarion wasn’t with her, and she denied having any involvement in his disappearance. However, he was found safe and reunited with his family hours later.
And these still aren’t the only cases involving a “missing child” that she’s allegedly tied to.
In fact, according to Fox 5 Atlanta, the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office has identified Brown as the same woman who authorities believe faked a pregnancy last year, using photos of another baby to convince a man she had given birth to his child. Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson said that a report from August 2025 documented an investigation into whether Brown had recently given birth and what had happened to the newborn, if so. Henson said investigators eventually determined there never was a newborn, and that Brown, who lived in Powder Springs, Ga., at the time, had faked the pregnancy.
“It appeared that she was actually trying to scam an individual, indicating that she was pregnant,” Henson said. “She was not.”
From Fox 5:
According to the incident report, a woman told deputies that her brother had received a photograph from Brown of what he believed was their baby. The woman said her brother thought the infant pictured “did not look alive.”
Deputies went to the home, where Brown denied having a newborn. She told investigators the only baby inside was a 6-month-old boy.
The original report documented several circumstances that raised questions for investigators. Deputies found an opened package of newborn diapers in Brown’s bedroom. They were also shown photographs and messages that appeared to suggest Brown had been pregnant and had given birth.
Deputies searched the home with permission but did not find a newborn.
Brown reportedly lied to investigators about giving birth, just as she allegedly did to the man she’s accused of trying to scam. A Paulding County arrest warrant signed Dec. 9, 2025, accuses her of knowingly and willfully obstructing a detective investigating a report of a possible injured or missing child by lying “during multiple interviews.” Brown was charged with misdemeanor obstruction, but she had not been arrested on that charge.
Brown is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail. Her next court appearance hasn’t been reported as of yet.
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