National

Family friend abducted 81-year-old woman and neglected her for months, Georgia cops say

A 81-year-old woman from Illinois was abducted by a Georgia family friend who claimed to be her granddaughter. The woman took control of her money and cut her communications for months.
A 81-year-old woman from Illinois was abducted by a Georgia family friend who claimed to be her granddaughter. The woman took control of her money and cut her communications for months. Fresno Bee Staff Photo

A 81-year-old woman from Illinois was taken away from her family for months by a woman who falsely claimed to be her granddaughter, police said.

Now, the Georgia woman has been arrested.

The investigation started when officers received a call from Adult Protective Services regarding a 81-year-old woman who was “possibly the victim of neglect,” according to a news release from the Conyers Police Department.

Police determined that Nicole Macon, 45, from Conyers, a city about 25 miles east of Atlanta, traveled to Illinois in November 2021 after learning that the elderly woman was sick, the news release states.

Macon had known the woman and her family for more than a decade, officers said.

But once in Illinois, Macon secured a limited power of attorney and took the woman back to Georgia, according to the release.

It was the beginning of four months of neglect and financial exploitation of the 81-year-old, police said.

The older woman was deprived of any means to communicate with friends or family.

Macon also used the woman’s bank accounts and credit cards to finance her hair salon business, according to the release.

When the abducted woman finally talked to detectives, she said they were the first people outside of Macon’s house that she had been allowed to talk to in months.

“After being reunited with her family, she proclaimed it one of the happiest days of her life,” police said.

Macon has been charged with exploitation and intimidation of elder persons and forgery, both of which are felonies, police said.

Read Next
Read Next
Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Family friend abducted 81-year-old woman and neglected her for months, Georgia cops say."

Cassandre Coyer
mcclatchy-newsroom
Cassandre Coyer is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the southeast while based in Washington D.C. She’s an alumna of Emerson College in Boston and joined McClatchy in 2022. Previously, she’s written for The Christian Science Monitor, RVA Mag, The Untitled Magazine, and more.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER