BREAKING NEWS Missing toddler's disappearance takes horrifying new turn as mother's 'lies' are revealed
The search for a missing three-year-old girl took a tragic turn as a body believed to be hers was found after cops accused her mother of creating an elaborate hoax about her 'disappearance.'
An Amber Alert for Nola Dinkins was abruptly canceled on Wednesday after officials in Maryland said they believe her mother, Darrian Randle, 31, fabricated an abduction story.
The alert for the missing girl had been issued the day before after her mother claimed a white couple kidnapped her daughter from her car at gunpoint around 7pm.
A description of a bald male suspect around 40 years old with a patch of peach fuzz on his head was put out to law enforcement across the state, with Randle reportedly saying the man took off with a blond, white woman in a car.
The mother described a terrifying encounter where she had pulled over to the side of the road on Gender Road in Newark, Delaware, to speak with her toddler because she was upset, before the 'suspect' approached her with a handgun.
But within a day of the search, which also included a vehicle description of a dark-colored SUV, officials now say they believe the entire story was false.
It is not clear how the investigators in the case came to believe the story was false, although Randle has been taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon. She has been charged with filing a false police report.
In a tragic update hours after the Amber Alert was canceled, officials said they found a body around 4.15pm. The body has not officially been named as the three-year-old.
The FBI had joined the search for Nola on Wednesday after officials took Randle into custody.
Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo told 6ABC that it is her understanding that the three-year-old's mother is cooperating with police.
Search teams had reportedly been seen near Gender Road near the I-95 where Nola's mother told police she was kidnapped, as well as the Liberty Pointe Apartments.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Maryland State Police at (410) 996-7800 or call 911.
Amid the search for Nola earlier Wednesday, her cousin Myria Dinkins said on Facebook that 'Nola has gained her wings.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau's widow recalls harrowing moment she was told her husband had been killed
The widow of late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau has opened up on the tragic moment she was told her husband and his brother Matthew had died in a tragic bicycle accident last year. Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were both killed after being hit by a drunk driver while out cycling on a New Jersey highway the night before their sister's wedding in late August 2024. Their passing proved all the more painful given both men were awaiting the birth of children, with Matthew on the verge of becoming a father for the very first time. His wife, Madeline, eventually gave birth to their baby boy, Tripp Matthew, four months later. And in April of this year, Meredith - Johnny's wife of three years before his death - welcomed their third child and second son, Carter Michael. Just over two months since giving birth in heartbreaking circumstances, Meredith has recalled the moment she received the news that her husband and his younger brother had lost their lives in an emotional letter published by The Players' Tribune. Titled 'Thank You For Being Perfect, John', the letter shares a number of special moments from their relationship before moving on to that fateful day in August. 'You kissed all of us goodbye and said you'd see us later. And that was that,' she wrote. Meredith then revealed that Johnny and Matthew's sister Katie, whose wedding day had been shattered in the most harrowing way possible, initially alerted her to the bicycle accident. 'Katie called, and she said something had happened, but she didn't know what exactly,' she added. 'I was thinking the whole time about how I was going to help you through whatever it could be that had happened to Matty. 'And then I walked up the front porch and learned the absolute worst had happened and that it was both of you. 'There aren't any words to go here.' The mom of three said the pain was 'completely indescribable.' 'I was keeled over for days, sick to my stomach,' she continued. 'The only person who can relate to me is my own sister-in-law. I see her and my heart breaks for her. 'I'm sick for her. We had just celebrated their gender reveal. We were all just down the shore together and had so much fun. Matty made me laugh so much that weekend.' Johnny, an NHL veteran who was poised to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2024, married Meredith back in September 2021. The couple then welcomed their first child, daughter Noa, a year later, and son Johnny as recently as March 2024. In a tearful tribute at his funeral back in September, Gaudreau's widow revealed she was pregnant with their third baby following his tragic passing, before giving birth to Carter Michael on April 1, 2025. She concluded in her Players' Tribune letter: 'I love you so much. I miss you every second of every day. I miss you more and more every day as well. My love grows deeper for you each day too.'
The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US rights groups warn of Republican effort to undercut LA advocacy work
Immigration and civil rights organizations across the US are warning of a growing effort to undermine their advocacy work as rightwing lawmakers accuse them of fueling the demonstrations against federal raids in California. Advocacy groups voiced alarm on Thursday after Josh Hawley, a Republican US senator from Missouri, threatened multiple immigration and civil rights groups with investigations over claims that they are 'bankrolling civil unrest' in Los Angeles. Hawley, who chairs the senate subcommittee on crime and counterterrorism, accused the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (Chirla), the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as Unión del Barrio of their 'alleged role[s] in financing and materially supporting the coordinated protests and riots that have engulfed Los Angeles in recent weeks'. As part of a letter he wrote to the organizations, Hawley, who was famously captured raising his fist in a salute to supporters of Donald Trump outside at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, then later fleeing the mob after they invaded the building to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election victory, said that 'bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech'. He referred to 'credible reporting' that the organizations were providing logistical and financial support to 'individuals' engaged in disruptive actions, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday, as Hawley followed up on a committee announcement in the House of Representatives that it will investigate 200 organizations it accuses of helping 'inadmissible aliens' during the Biden administration. The attacks on Chirla and others also came after advocates and lawyers rushed to advise people arrested and detained, and their affected family members, during the latest immigration raids in the LA area that sparked the most fierce protests over the weekend, the LA Times further reported. Hawley added: 'You must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding, or promotion of these unlawful activities,' also demanding that Chirla preserve a slew of records including all internal communications, financial documents, grant applications and funding proposals. 'Failure to comply will result in additional action by this subcommittee, including potential referral for criminal investigation,' Hawley said. In response, Chirla executive director Angelica Salas rejected Hawley's accusations, saying: 'Our mission is rooted in non-violent advocacy, community safety, and democratic values … We will not be intimidated for standing with immigrant communities and documenting the inhumane manner that our community is being targeted with the assault by the raids, the unconstitutional and illegal arrests, detentions, and the assault on our first amendment rights.' Similarly, the United Farm Workers Foundation, which represents a sizable presence across California's farmlands that are largely worked by undocumented workers, said that it 'unequivocally denounces the disturbing tactics' brought forth against Chirla. 'Republican members of Congress are launching a troubling and politically motivated attack on non-profit organizations, including Chirla. These actions appear designed to intimidate and discredit the work of groups that serve immigrant communities across the country,' UWF Foundation said. In an additional statement, Erica Corcoran, the UWF Foundation CEO, said that Chirla's 'work is grounded in nonviolent action, community empowerment, and the defense of democratic values, principles that should be protected, not targeted, in a free society'. The Guardian has reached out to the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as Unión del Barrio for comment. Hawley's letters have also alarmed civil rights organizations. David Loy, the First Amendment Coalition's legal director, said: 'The first amendment … guarantees that … anyone who organizes or supports or participates in a protest cannot be held legally responsible for the actions of a few individuals who might do illegal things like throw rocks or bottles, unless the organizer or the participant had the specific intent to commit those illegal acts or further the commission or aid and abet those illegal acts. 'The problem with the senator's letter is that it's ignoring this fundamental principle, and the effect of what he's doing is to frighten and intimidate people against speaking out,' Loy said, adding: 'No one in government should ever be … taking action which has the effect of intimidating and chilling people from exercising their freedom speech, full stop.' Hawley's letter follows federal authorities' arrest earlier this week of David Huerta, the 58-year-old president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California who was charged with 'conspiracy to impede an officer' while serving as a community observer during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) raid in Los Angeles. Huerta, who was initially hospitalized after federal officers knocked his head into a concrete curb last Friday, said: 'Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.' Hawley's letter also comes after Bill Essayli, the interim US attorney for the central district of California, threatened advocacy groups with federal investigations over their involvement in the protests. Eric Rodriguez, UnidosUS's vice-president of policy and advocacy, told the Guardian on Thursday: 'What we have seen is the Senate committee now using this accusation to be able to put pressure and intimidate organizations from engaging in peaceful protest … that's something I think that should be objectionable to all Americans. 'Some of the folks who are putting an eye on the protesters or the organizations that are responding are the very same people who did not hold or did not have the desire to hold anyone accountable for the insurrection on January 6,' he added.
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
New major twist in alleged sexual assault case involving Nancy Mace's ex-finance
A new legal filing in an alleged assault case goes after the former fiance of Rep. Nancy Mace – as well as a top political consultant who accused her of using explosive photos for 'blackmail.' The filing by the alleged assault victim describes a 2018 incident where the alleged victim says a witness saw video footage of her being assaulted and filmed without her consent. She was allegedly passed out on the couch at a Sullivan's Island, South Carolina home at the time. The alleged assault featured in Mace's stunning House Floor speech after she threatened to go 'scorched earth' against people she called predators. It has since kicked off a series of suits and counter suits. The amended complaint hits back with new allegations against longtime South Carolina consultant Wesley Donehue, whose newly revealed deposition appeared to undermine some of Mace's claims about the case. Donehue says he 'fired' Mace as a client because she was becoming 'erratic and unstable.' His allegations came under oath in a deposition that DailyMail revealed in May. In his sworn deposition, the consultant accused Mace of engaging in blackmail when she asked him to contact her former fiance, Patrick Bryant, to tell him she had obtained video evidence from his phone and use it as 'leverage' to gain ownership of two homes they were squabbling over in DC and Isle of Palms, South Carolina. The homes have a combined value of $5 million. A source familiar with the matter denied the blackmail charge. The 'Jane Doe' suit alleges that Mace's ex-fiance gave Mace access to his phone after a pastor told the then-couple Bryant needed to 'build trust' and she subsequently viewed his phone while he was sleeping. Mace then found photos and images of the alleged sexual assault, the complaint alleges. It says Mace was 'haunted' by the images, finally establishing contact with the alleged victim in 2024, about a year before her stunning House floor speech where she referenced the alleged assault and identified four men as alleged sexual 'predators.' According to the amended complaint, it is Donehue who engaged in 'blackmail.' It says the longtime consultant who dumped Mace as a client made 'false and defamatory statements about Mace' that also 'prejudiced Plaintiff.' The filing says Mace had reported pictures and images she found on Bryant's phone to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in December 2023 – 'well before she talked to Donehue.' 'Therefore, she could not have asked Donehue to blackmail Bryant, because Bryant was already under investigation at the time,' the filing says. The Daily Mail has reached out to Donehue for comment. The complaint also took on Donehue's dramatic public firing of Mace. He had posted: 'I fired Nancy Mace as client a few months back because I'm a political consultant and not a babysitter, a sex therapist or a doctor who can prescribe fixes for chemical imbalances. 'I don't have time for her constant egotistical bulls*** and drama in my life.' The suit said Mace and Bryant had settled their property dispute by May of 2024, before Donehue fired Mace, 'so she would not have asked Donehue to blackmail Bryant.' Mace accused her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant (right) and two of his associates, including John Osborne (left) of planning and filming the assault Businessman Eric Bowman, 45, left, and software entrepreneur Brian Musgrave, 51, right, were two of four men Mace accused in her floor speech of being involved in the alleged sexual assault of an intoxicated woman at Bowman's home in 2018. All four men have categorically denied the claims 'Moreover, emails reveal the real reason that Donehue fired Mace as a client is that she wanted access to her Google Analytics, and Donehue didn't want to give her access to her own data,' the lawsuit says. It provides no further details on the the cause of the break. 'Donehue, not Mace, is the one engaged in blackmail,' the filing alleges. 'In December of 2024, Donehue sent Mace hostile and threatening text messages when she had a public dispute with Trey Gowdy, one of Donahue's [sic]. Donehue texted Mace "And let me be very clear with you. You do not want to pick a fight with me ...' And in yet another sweeping allegation, the lawsuit accuses Mace's ex-fiance Bryant of establishing an LLC for the 'improper' purpose of conducting depositions to 'disseminate false information and discredit the Plaintiff's witensses, thereby interfering with her right to have a fair and impartial jury in future criminal and civil proceedings.' Mace has filed a motion to intervene in the Jane Doe case. The lawsuit names three men as defendants: Bryant, John Osborne, and Eric Bowman, as well as two companies as well as three LLCs. State police opened an investigation into her bombshell claims in February. Bryant told Daily Mail in a statement, 'I'm doing everything I can to clear my name. I've answered every allegation in court, secured key witness testimony, and I remain committed to making sure the whole truth, not rumor, comes to light about me and my businesses.' Bowman has previously said he has spoken to SLED and denies wrongdoing. SLED has confirmed it opened an investigation into Bryant. Bryant issued a statement immediately after Mace's February 10 speech - which aired live to the nation on CSPAN - saying: 'I categorically deny these allegations.' And Osborne previously told The Post & Courier: 'The claims are categorically untrue and it is completely unfair to be looped into such accusations.' None of the people Mace identified have been charged with a crime. The legal filing says Bowman and Bryant 'defamed' the plaintiff online and accuses them of 'humiliating' her on social media. Bowman, the first of the four branded as predators on the House floor by Mace, previously told the Daily Mail that the accuser fell into his pool while drunk and passed out on his couch. 'She walked inside by herself and went to dry off in the bathroom and put herself on the couch. She was fully coherent until she put herself to sleep,' he said. 'At some point her boyfriend comes and picks her up. That's it,' he said.
