Kidnapping suspect faked pregnancy in 2025, Paulding sheriff says
Kidnapping suspect reportedly faked pregnancy
Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson says investigators determined Lakesha Brown was not pregnant and had allegedly used photos to make a man believe she had given birth. Digital journalist Jameson Moyer has the details.
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - New information from the Paulding County sheriff is clearing up some of the unanswered questions surrounding an unusual investigation involving Lakesha Brown nearly a year before she was accused of kidnapping two young sisters in Atlanta.
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What they're saying:
A Paulding County Sheriff's Office report from August 2025 documented an investigation into whether Brown had recently given birth and what had happened to the alleged newborn. But Sheriff Ashley Henson now says investigators ultimately determined there was no newborn: Brown had allegedly faked the pregnancy.
Henson said investigators believe Brown was attempting to deceive a man into thinking she was pregnant with his child and used photographs to make him believe she had given birth.
"It appeared that she was actually trying to scam an individual, indicating that she was pregnant," Henson said. "She was not."
Welfare check raised questions about possible newborn
What we know:
Deputies were called to a home on Kacey Court in Powder Springs on Aug. 18, 2025, after receiving information about a possible newborn.
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.
The report also noted two burn barrels outside the home, including one with maggots around burned material. However, the report did not establish any connection between the barrels and a child.
Sheriff says investigation found there was no baby
Henson said Wednesday that the subsequent investigation determined Brown had not actually been pregnant.
According to the sheriff, Brown allegedly showed photographs to a man that led him to believe she had given birth. Henson said Brown then lied to investigators as they tried to determine what had happened.
That conduct resulted in an obstruction charge.
"Through the course of the investigation, she lied to our detectives about the nature of the case," Henson said.
A Paulding County arrest warrant signed Dec. 9, 2025, accuses Brown of knowingly and willfully obstructing a detective investigating a report of a possible injured or missing child. The warrant alleges Brown lied "during multiple interviews."
Henson said the obstruction charge is a misdemeanor and that investigators did not believe other charges applied to the Paulding County incident.
Brown expected to eventually face Paulding charge
What's next:
Authorities had not arrested Brown on the Paulding County warrant before this week's developments in Atlanta.
Atlanta police arrested Brown after 4-year-old Zola Cooper and her 11-month-old sister, Norah, were found inside a locked trailer at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex. Police say the girls had been taken while Brown was babysitting them. Both children were found safe.
Brown faces two counts each of kidnapping and first-degree cruelty to children in Atlanta.
Henson said once Brown's cases in Atlanta and any other jurisdictions move through the court system, she is expected to be brought to Paulding County to face the outstanding obstruction charge.
Brown also has a separate case in Alabama involving allegations that she kidnapped a 4-day-old baby in 2021. The Atlanta, Paulding County and Alabama cases are separate, and the allegations against Brown remain subject to court proceedings.
More about the Atlanta kidnapping case
What we know:
Atlanta police accuse Brown of taking Zola Cooper, 4, and her 11-month-old sister, Norah, while babysitting them over the weekend. Their mother reported them missing after Brown failed to return the children and allegedly gave conflicting explanations about where they were.
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The search prompted an Amber Alert. Investigators eventually tracked Brown's cellphone to the area around Sylvan Road in southwest Atlanta, according to arrest warrants. An Atlanta police fugitive detective heard a baby crying inside a tow trailer, and officers forced their way inside.
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Both girls were found safe. Police said the trailer had no air conditioning and that the outside temperature was about 97 degrees.
What's next:
Brown is being held in the Fulton County Jail on two counts of kidnapping and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children. She waived her initial court appearance Tuesday.
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