Police for a month now have been trying to figure out who she is, the woman who dresses in scrubs and sometimes wears a stethoscope around her neck in an effort to fit in at hospitals throughout the state, including in New Iberia.

Now they know.

She is Lakeshia Kennedy and police in numerous parishes and in Mississippi have increased efforts to find her, posting her photograph and encouraging someone to turn her in.

Kennedy since July has traveled to hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi, where she steals purses and credit cards, enters lockers and steals wallets, money and other items. She also has entered other businesses, stealing items from offices. She uses the stolen credit cards to commit identity theft, police say, something she has been convicted of in the past while living in Texas.

In Lafayette, Crime Stoppers last week featured Kennedy as its “Crime of the Week.”

“On September 1st, 2022, the suspect, Lakeshia Kennedy, impersonated a nurse and gained access to secure areas of a local hospital,” Crimestoppers wrote on its Facebook page. “While inside, the suspect stole credit cards from the victim and utilized the cards to commit a felony identity theft. It was later learned this same suspect had committed the same identity thefts from July 2022 to October 2022 ranging from Gulfport, Mississippi, to Opelousas, Louisiana. After multi-agency cooperation, the suspect was identified and an arrest warrant for identity theft was obtained by multiple agencies.”

Kennedy is wanted by Lafayette, New Iberia, Morgan City and Opelousas police departments on numerous charges.

Some of the photographs releases show how Kennedy attempts to fit in at hospitals. She often changes wigs and wears scrubs and almost always wears a mask over her face, including in photos at local stores where she uses the stolen credit cards.

Anyone with information on Kennedy’s whereabouts can call New Iberia Police Department at 337-369-2306 or Iberia Crime Stoppers at 337-364-TIPS (8477).