Kidnapping suspect focus of Paulding County welfare check in 2025
Lakesha Brown. Courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff's Office
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - Nearly a year before Lakesha Brown was accused of kidnapping two young sisters in Atlanta, Paulding County deputies investigated a welfare call involving questions about whether Brown had recently given birth and where the newborn was.
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What we know:
The Aug. 18, 2025, incident began when deputies were called to a home on Kacey Court in Powder Springs. According to a Paulding County Sheriff's Office report obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, a woman told authorities that her brother, Alfred Higgs, had received a photograph from Brown of what he believed was their baby.
The woman told deputies that Higgs believed the infant in the photograph "did not look alive," according to the report.
The report does not establish that a baby died, nor does it explain whether investigators ultimately confirmed that Brown had recently given birth or determined what happened to the alleged newborn.
Brown denied having a newborn
What the report says:
When deputies arrived at the Powder Springs home, Brown told them there was no newborn inside and said the only baby in the house was a 6-month-old boy. Two of Brown's adult children also told deputies their mother did not have a baby.
But deputies were also receiving information that appeared to conflict with those statements.
According to the report, the complainant provided photographs appearing to show a newborn along with the baby's weight and time of birth. Deputies also received screenshots of messages in which Brown's daughter allegedly told Higgs that her mother had a baby.
Additional photographs sent to investigators appeared to show Brown pregnant, according to the deputy's narrative. The complainant also provided messages about Brown allegedly having a baby girl.
Deputies search the home
As deputies considered how to proceed, they learned Brown might have an outstanding failure-to-appear warrant in Alabama.
About 10 minutes later, deputies approached the home again. According to the report, Brown opened the door and gave them permission to search the entire house, telling deputies there was no baby there. Her adult children also consented to searches of their bedrooms.
Inside Brown's bedroom, a deputy found an opened package of newborn diapers with several missing.
When questioned about the diapers, Brown told deputies they were old and had been used for the 6-month-old baby, according to the report.
Deputies searched the rest of the home but did not find a newborn or anything else they believed indicated one was there.
Deputy notices burn barrels outside
While outside the home, the deputy noticed two burn barrels in the backyard.
The deputy wrote in the report that one barrel had "a lot of maggots" around the top of burned material.
The report does not identify what had been burned or establish any connection between the barrel and the alleged newborn.
The possible Alabama warrant had not been confirmed at that point, and deputies left the property.
Deputies return, notice items are gone
Deputies returned to the Kacey Court home later that day after Higgs asked for law enforcement assistance while retrieving some of his belongings.
While back inside the master bedroom, the deputy noticed the newborn diapers that had been beside the bed during the earlier search were no longer there.
According to the report, Higgs asked Brown to see the newborn, but Brown continued to deny having a baby.
Higgs then showed deputies photographs and videos that he said showed Brown displaying newborn clothing and other baby items inside a dresser.
When Higgs looked inside the dresser during the second visit, those items were gone, according to the deputy's report.
Detectives later arrived and took over the investigation. Photographs and other materials provided by Higgs and his sister were preserved as part of the case, according to the report.
Report leaves questions unanswered
What we don't know:
The Paulding County case was initially classified as suspicious activity. A copy of the case report printed in August 2026 lists its status as "Pending Arrest," with a status date of Dec. 9, 2025. The document does not explain what led to that status or whether charges were ultimately sought in connection with the welfare check.
The report also does not say whether investigators ever confirmed the existence or whereabouts of the alleged newborn or whether the contents of the burn barrels were examined or tested.
Brown now accused in Atlanta kidnapping case
What we know:
The Paulding County report has drawn new attention following Brown's arrest this week in Atlanta.
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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Jail records also show Brown is wanted in Paulding County and Jefferson County, Alabama. The Alabama warrant is connected to a separate case in which Brown is accused of kidnapping a 4-day-old baby in 2021. Prosecutors there are seeking to revoke her bond after they say she failed to appear for trial in May and subsequently picked up the new charges in Atlanta.
Paulding County officials have not explained as of Wednesday morning exactly why they would like to speak to Brown. FOX 5 Atlanta is attempting to obtain more information.
The Atlanta, Paulding County and Alabama cases are separate, and the allegations in each remain subject to their respective court proceedings.