ATLANTA, GA — Newly released body camera video shows Atlanta police forcing entry into a locked, windowless trailer and rescuing two young girls who had been reported missing. Officers later arrested their babysitter, 42-year-old Lakesha Brown, at the scene.
Police said the children, a 4-year-old girl and her 11-month-old sister, were found in good health and were reunited with their mother after the rescue.
Police traced the children to the trailer after the mother reported them missing
According to investigators, Brown had been watching the girls while their mother went out to dinner on Saturday. When the mother returned home, she could not reach Brown and contacted police to report the children missing.
Authorities said investigators eventually tracked the girls to the trailer by Monday. In the video, officers can be heard hearing a child crying inside before they cut into the structure and removed the children.
Video shows officers cutting into the trailer before pulling the girls to safety
The footage released by police shows a tense rescue effort as officers worked to open the sealed trailer. Once inside, they removed the children and took Brown into custody.
Police said the girls were found inside a space with no windows, adding urgency to the search and rescue effort.
Brown had a prior kidnapping charge in Alabama and an outstanding warrant
Authorities said Brown had also been charged in 2021 with kidnapping a 4-day-old baby in Alabama. Police said she had an outstanding warrant in that case for failing to appear in court.
Those earlier allegations were separate from the Atlanta case, but they were part of the information investigators cited after her arrest.
From the Twin Cities to the border and back, Travel Your Way keeps Minnesota informed.