ATLANTA, GEORGIA — What began as a frantic Amber Alert for two young sisters has now become a serious criminal case after the woman accused of taking the children was indicted in Fulton County.

Lakesha Brown, 42, is accused of taking 4-year-old Zola Cooper and her 11-month-old sister, Norah Cooper, after being entrusted to care for them while their mother went out to dinner.

The girls were found alive several days later inside a trailer in southwest Atlanta, ending an urgent search that involved Atlanta police, other law enforcement agencies and members of the public.

Brown remains in the Fulton County Jail and faces two counts of kidnapping and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children. According to Fulton County court records, she was indicted on September 4, adding another significant step to the criminal proceedings.

Mother Thought She Could Trust the Babysitter
The girls’ mother, Elica Redding, said she had known Brown for about a year after the two connected through an online Facebook group for mothers.

According to police and Redding’s account, Brown had built a relationship with the family before being given responsibility for the children on August 15.

Redding said she left the girls with Brown while she went out to dinner. When she returned, however, Brown did not bring the children home and stopped responding to repeated attempts to contact her.

Brown reportedly gave different explanations for why the girls had not been returned. At one point, she allegedly claimed they had been involved in a vehicle crash.

Redding began contacting hospitals because of the claim, but authorities found no records showing that the children had been treated for a crash. The mother eventually called 911, setting off the investigation that led to the Amber Alert.

Police Initially Treated the Situation Differently
Atlanta police were called to the family’s home late on August 16.

The department said officers initially responded to what appeared to be a possible custody dispute. Investigators soon determined that the situation involved a suspected kidnapping and began working to locate Brown and the two children.

The Atlanta Police Department issued information identifying Brown and the vehicle she was believed to be driving. Authorities also worked with investigators and relied on technology and information from the public to narrow down the search area.

The children were eventually traced to a property on Sylvan Road in southwest Atlanta.

Then investigators heard something that changed the search.

A Baby’s Cry Led Officers to the Trailer
When officers arrived near the property, they heard a baby crying.

Police searched the area and located a trailer. Inside were Brown and both children.

Officers used bolt cutters to force their way into the trailer and remove the girls.

Body-camera footage later released by Atlanta police captured the dramatic rescue. The video showed officers entering the trailer, locating the children and removing them before taking Brown into custody.

The girls were taken for medical evaluation and were subsequently reported to be in good health.

They were reunited with their mother, bringing a successful end to the immediate search operation.

Atlanta police formally announced that the children had been recovered safely on August 17.

Investigators Still Don’t Know Why She Allegedly Took Them
Despite the successful recovery, authorities have not publicly established a clear motive for why Brown allegedly took the sisters.

That unanswered question remains a central part of the investigation.

Police have focused on reconstructing what happened from the time Brown picked up the girls until officers found them inside the trailer.

The circumstances surrounding the children’s time there, including what Brown intended to do with them, remain part of the criminal case.

Investigators Discovered an Earlier Case
The Atlanta investigation also uncovered another troubling piece of Brown’s history.

Authorities say Brown has an active warrant connected to an earlier Alabama case involving the alleged kidnapping of a 4-day-old baby in 2021.

Court records indicate Brown failed to appear for a scheduled proceeding in that case. Alabama prosecutors subsequently sought to revoke her bond after the new Atlanta allegations emerged.

Brown also faces an active warrant in Paulding County, Georgia, related to a separate investigation. CBS Atlanta reported that the Paulding County matter involved allegations that Brown falsely claimed to have been pregnant and misled a man into believing she had given birth.

The earlier cases are separate from the current Fulton County charges, but they have become part of the broader picture investigators are examining.

The Family Is Still Processing What Happened
For Redding, the recovery of her daughters brought enormous relief, but the experience has also left lasting emotional damage.

She told FOX 5 that seeing police body-camera footage of the rescue was difficult because it forced her to confront what might have happened to her children.

The mother had trusted Brown enough to leave her two daughters in her care.

Instead, police say that trust ended with a statewide Amber Alert and an overnight search.

Brown Has Now Been Indicted
The case has moved beyond the initial arrest stage.

Brown was arrested on August 17 after officers found her with the girls. She was booked into the Fulton County Jail on two kidnapping counts and two first-degree cruelty-to-children counts.

According to Fulton County court records cited in the latest reporting, a grand jury indicted Brown on September 4. She remains in custody as the criminal proceedings continue.

The indictment means prosecutors have formally advanced the case, but it does not establish Brown’s guilt. She remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.

The Latest Status
As of September 12, 2026, the two sisters, Zola Cooper and Norah Cooper, have been safely recovered and returned to their family.

Lakesha Brown remains jailed in Fulton County and has been indicted in connection with the alleged kidnapping. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a definitive motive for the alleged abduction.

The case is now moving through the court system, while investigators continue to examine Brown’s actions, her previous cases and exactly what happened during the period the girls were missing.

For the family, the most important outcome has already happened: the two children came home alive.

But for prosecutors and investigators, another question now takes center stage:

Why were the sisters taken, and what was Brown planning to do with them?

That answer may emerge as the criminal case moves forward.

Important: The allegations described above are criminal accusations. Brown has not been convicted, and the charges must be proven in court.

Sources
FOX 5 Atlanta — original report and subsequent indictment update.