2 Atlanta sisters believed abducted by babysitter found safe after Amber Alert, family says

The sound of a baby crying helped Atlanta police find two young sisters inside a trailer Monday, bringing an overnight kidnapping investigation to a safe end.

Officers found 4-year-old Zola Cooper and her 11-month-old sister, Norah Cooper, at an apartment complex located at 2001 Sylvan Road, Atlanta police Lt. Butler said during a news conference. The girls were in good health and taken for medical evaluation.

Their aunt told CBS News Atlanta that the children were reunited with their family.

Police took the girls' babysitter, Lakesha Brown, into custody at the scene. Investigators have not determined a motive.

Officers were initially called around 10:30 p.m. Sunday for what appeared to be a custody dispute, Butler said. The department's Special Victims Unit later determined that the case was a kidnapping and obtained warrants for Brown.

Police said Brown had gained the mother's trust over about a year. The mother believed Brown would return the children, delaying the 911 call, according to investigators. Brown also allegedly told the mother that she and the children had been involved in a crash, but police said they found no evidence that an accident occurred.

"I first met her when she made a post about doing hair for expecting moms. She reached out," said Elica Redding, the girls' mother. "The first time she reached out, I brushed it to the side, and the second time I just let her do my hair, and after that we started talking and being friends."

Investigators used cellphone data and information from community members to trace Brown to the Sylvan Road property. Members of APD's Fugitive Unit heard a baby crying inside a trailer and entered without a warrant because they believed the children could be in danger, Butler said. Officers found the sisters and Brown inside.

APD said its homicide, Special Victims and fugitive units worked through the night with the FBI, GBI and authorities in Alabama. License plate reader data helped investigators narrow the area of their search, police said.

According to APD's critical missing child alert, the sisters were believed to have been abducted by Brown after they were last seen near Jones Avenue NW and James P. Brawley Drive NW.

Police said Brown is from Alabama and has an outstanding failure-to-appear warrant connected to a case there involving similar circumstances about five years ago. Investigators said they did not yet have details about the outcome of that case.

Brown was taken to Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters for questioning. Police did not announce her charges during the news conference.