Recover MacBook Pro without employee self-assigned Apple ID

mark.eisen wrote:

Starting here with hopefully some insight/suggestions from folks. I worked at a newspaper company for a time in IT. I haven't been there for a few years, but they recently asked if I could help them recover a former employee's MacBook Pro. It seems when she left the company, she erased the hard drive and left it in recovery mode (I haven't been past that to even know which version of the operating system is installed - the laptop is about three years old?) Seems the former publisher bought the computer and just gave it to her to finish installing/setting up. She used her personal apple id for the recovery apparently. I don't have access to her password or her personal email, and she has not answered any requests to help. I've tried a number of options I've seen in researching, but all end up in the same place, I need access to her apple id/password. As I said, I've been out of this for a few years and haven't kept up, so am I missing something or should I contact apple support?

If she did this: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

then just set up the computer as new with the owner's credentials.

If she did not do what is described in the above article, the computer is useless to the new owner/publisher.

Under certain extremely-limited circumstances, Apple can take over and ERASE a computer and return it to you for re-use.

As deterrent against THEFT, documented ownership by serial number is REQUIRED [NOT optional]. This is possible If and ONLY if you can prove an unbroken chain of ownership (by serial number) back to the Original Bill of Sale from Apple or a Reseller.

No exceptions.