Atlanta is on high alert this morning after two young sisters reportedly vanished under circumstances that have investigators pointing straight at the one person who was supposed to be keeping them safe.
According to WSBTV, four-year-old Zola Cooper and her baby sister, 11-month-old Norah Cooper, were last seen Saturday evening around 6 p.m. in the area of Jones Avenue and James P. Brawley Drive NW, and police say the babysitter who had them, identified as Lakesha Brown, is now the center of an urgent investigation into what happened to these girls.
An Amber Alert went out just before 8 a.m. Monday, and it’s already spreading fast across metro Atlanta and beyond. Authorities are asking everyone to keep their eyes peeled for a 2009 white Ford F350 truck carrying an Alabama license plate, IC087Y4, believed to be the vehicle used to take the girls away. It’s a two-day gap between when these babies were last seen and when the public got the alert, and for a family waiting on word about their children, every one of those hours has to feel like a lifetime.
Little Zola is described as about four feet tall, 42 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, last seen in a multicolored dress. Norah, still just a baby at 11 months old, is around two feet tall, weighs about 28 pounds, and is missing two fingers, the index and middle, on her right hand, a detail police hope will help someone recognize her quickly.
She was last seen wearing a pink onesie. Both girls are Black, and this is exactly the kind of case that too often doesn’t get the urgency or the media push it deserves when it involves Black children. However, Atlanta police are making it clear this time that they aren’t playing around.
The Atlanta Police Department has labeled the girls’ disappearance an “very active investigation,” and said “additional information” will be released once they get it.
That’s about as much as officials are saying publicly right now, but the fact that they moved to issue an Amber Alert and named a suspect tells you they believe this situation is serious and time-sensitive. At this time, investigators have not yet released a detailed account of what led up to the girls being reported missing or what contact, if any, has been made with Brown since Saturday.
Police are now asking if anyone has seen Zola or Norah Cooper, that truck, or have any information at all about where they might be, Atlanta Police are urging you to call the Special Victims Unit immediately at 404-546-4260, or reach out to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can stay anonymous. Right now what matters most is getting these two little girls home safe, and getting them there fast.