Latest news with #DarrianRandle
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Maryland community "disturbed" after body found during search for missing 3-year-old
A community in Cecil County said it was "disturbing" when they learned the body of a young child was found in their backyard as police searched for a missing Nola Dinkins. Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said the remains found in a vacant lot on Wednesday, June 11, were consistent with those of a child. The medical examiner is working to identify the body and the cause of death. "Really shocking, especially when you hear the age of the poor child involved," a Cecil County resident told WJZ. "Quite disturbing, that's for sure." Cecil County resident Chloe Elborn said the child's body was found near her home on Dune Road in North East, Maryland. Maryland mother Darrian Randle and her boyfriend, Cedrick Britten, are accused of killing 3-year-old Nola Dinkins and attempting to hide her body before filing a false kidnapping report in Delaware. Documents: Child's body was stuffed in a suitcase According to the police report, Randle put her daughter in a suitcase and left it on the basement steps overnight. She then asked Britten to dispose of the suitcase. Police said Britten took the suitcase and later sent her a picture of a park, and he provided a map of where he left the body. According to court documents, the remains were found around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, and it was consistent with an emaciated child wrapped in Saran Wrap. "It's just too close to home, like it's like so close to home, literally," Elborn said. "As a mama, I just cannot imagine doing that to your child. It's insane." Randle, 31, is facing several charges, including murder, assault, and child abuse. She is being held on a $1 million bond. Britten, 44, is charged with accessory to murder and has been released on $75,000 bond. "Well, you don't expect it, but you also know that some bad individuals walk among us," a Cecil County resident said. Confession to a child's murder Randle confessed to the murder of her 3-year-old daughter, Nola Dinkins, according to charging documents obtained by WJZ. She told police she faked a kidnapping story, which prompted an Amber Alert in Delaware. She told police that she had hit the child about 15 to 20 times with a belt on Monday, June 6, at the Cecil County home. Randle told police that Dinkins fell to the ground and was not moving. When she realized the child was no longer breathing, Randle called for Britten, who attempted CPR, according to charging documents. Police said Randle and Britten drove around with the child's dead body before returning home. Later, Randle asked Britten to dispose of the body in the suitcase, according to documents. "I was doing a project out by the lane there, and we saw a flatbed come and take a couple of cars away from the residence there," a Cecil County resident said. "And then police units started showing up from forensics, and we realized there was more to it than that." Randle's false police report According to charging documents, Randle called the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware on Tuesday to report that Dinkins was kidnapped at gunpoint off of Gender Road. An Amber Alert was issued, and Maryland State police responded to the child's last known residence in the state, which is standard practice. When troopers responded to a home on Elk Nest Drive in Cecil County, Maryland, they found Britten. He identified himself as Randle's current boyfriend, court documents said. He told troopers the child had left with her mother. Child-sized blanket with blood found Maryland State Police searched Britten's Cecil County home. According to charging documents, Britten did not react when he was told about the abduction allegations. He told officers that "he used to be special forces in the military and has dealt with human trafficking before." During a search of the home, troopers found gloves in a downstairs trash can and another pair in Randle and Nola's room, according to court documents. A "child-sized" blanket with a "reddish brown smear consistent with blood" was found in Britten's car, according to court documents. Britten told police the blanket was not his and he had gotten it from a stranger he met in a park during the summer of 2024.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mother confessed to beating daughter, leaving body in a suitcase overnight
The mother of 3-year-old Nola Dinkins, who was at the center of an Amber Alert in Delaware, now faces murder charges. On Tuesday, Darrian Randle told Newark Police her daughter had been kidnapped by an armed man, prompting police to issue an Amber Alert. READ MORE:
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police: Mother admits to beating girl to death
The mother of a 3-year-old girl, who was the subject of an erroneous Amber Alert in Delaware, admitted to striking the child to death, according to police charging documents obtained Thursday by 11 News. Darrian Randle, 31, of North East, called police in New Castle, Delaware, late Tuesday night to report the armed kidnapping of her daughter, Nola Dinkins, in Newark, Delaware, which prompted authorities to issue an Amber Alert. Police say they interviewed Randle, who initially made a number of false and misleading statements, the charging documents state. After some time, the charging documents state, Randle ultimately admitted that the alleged kidnapping report was not true. Instead, authorities said Randle told them that she struck the child at her boyfriend's house in North East.
a day ago
Mother charged with murder of 3-year-old daughter after allegedly lying about child's abduction
A Maryland mother has been charged with the murder of her 3-year-old daughter after falsely reporting to police that the child was kidnapped at gunpoint, according to Maryland State Police. Darrian Randle, 31, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a minor under 13 and "other related criminal charges," police announced on Wednesday. She was also charged with filing a false police report in Delaware, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI. Randle previously reported to police on Tuesday that her daughter, 3-year-old Nola Dinkins, had been kidnapped at gunpoint, which led to the issuing of an Amber Alert in Newark, Delaware, police said. Information "gleaned throughout the investigation revealed the initial report provided by Randle was false" and the Amber Alert was subsequently canceled, police said in a press release. Through their search efforts, officials located human remains that are "consistent with that of a child" in a vacant lot in North East, Maryland, on Wednesday afternoon, police said. The identification of the remains -- and whether or not they are Dinkins' -- is pending autopsy results by the medical examiner, police said. Randle previously stated she and Dinkins had left her apartment complex and arrived at a dead-end road, with the child beginning to "cry for an unknown reason," according to the arrest warrant. While Randle was trying to figure out why her daughter was crying, she said an unknown black SUV with "either rust or dirt on its sides" pulled up behind Randle's vehicle, with a male voice asking if she was OK, according to the warrant. Randle replied that she was OK and then "directed her attention back to looking in her car" to her crying child, the warrant said. While she was looking inside her vehicle, she said an "unknown white male, approximately 40 years of age," wearing a black hoodie and gray shorts, exited the SUV and approached Randle's vehicle, she told police. The male once again asked if Randle was OK and then removed a "black handgun from his shorts" and pointed it at the mother and the child, according to the warrant. She told police the male said he was "not going to hurt them," but then grabbed the child, "picked her up, placing her underneath his arm" and retreated to the SUV, which was driven by a white female. At the time of the report, police issued an Amber Alert and an intensive search began overnight. The Amber Alert was canceled after police determined the mother lied to police, with the case then being investigated as a homicide, New Castle County Police said. Randle later admitted to police she was lying about the kidnapping and the suspects involved, saying she made up the report to "divert attention from her then boyfriend," who was identified as 44-year-old Cedrick Antoine Britten, police said. Britten was also arrested and charged with accessory to first- and second-degree murder, failure to report the death of the child and "other related criminal charges," police said. Randle is currently being held at the Baylor Women's Correctional Institution in Delaware, with her preliminary court hearing scheduled for June 23, according to jail records. Britten remains in police custody in Maryland awaiting transport to the Cecil County District Court for an initial appearance, police said. Additional details on what led to the murder charges have not been revealed by officials. It was not immediately clear whether Randle or Britten have attorneys who can speak on their behalf.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Maryland couple accused of killing toddler, hiding body in a suitcase and making fake kidnapping report, per court documents
A Maryland mother and her boyfriend are accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter and attempting to hide her body before a false Delaware kidnapping report sparked an investigation, according to court documents. Darrian Randle and her boyfriend, Cedrick Britten, are both facing charges in connection with the death of 3-year-old Nola Dinkins after an unidentified child's body was found in a Cecil County, Maryland, park on Wednesday, June 11. False report of Delaware kidnapping leads to investigation On Wednesday, Randle called New Castle Police in Delaware to report that her daughter had been kidnapped at gunpoint. An Amber Alert was issued, and Maryland State police responded to the child's last known residence in the state, as in standard practice. When troopers responded to a home on Elk Nest Drive in Cecil County, Maryland, they found Britten. He identified himself as Randle's current boyfriend, court documents said. He told troopers the child had left with her mother. Darrian Randle allegedly confesses to daughter's murder Charging documents detail how Randle made false and misleading statements during an interview with police. She later confessed that the story about the alleged kidnapping was not true. Randle told police that she had hit the child about 15 to 20 times with a belt on Monday, June 6, at the Cecil County home. She said the Dinkins fell to the ground and was not moving. When she realized the child was no longer breathing, Randle called for Britten, who attempted CPR, according to court documents. After realizing that the child was dead, Randle told police she and Britten put the child in his car and drove around for a while before returning home. According to the police report, Randle put the child in a suitcase and left it on the basement steps overnight. She later asked Britten to take it somewhere. Randle told police Britten took the suitcase and later sent her a picture of a park. Documents show that Britten provided a map of where the child's body was disposed of. Maryland State Police said they found a body in a vacant lot around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday. According to court documents, the remains were consistent with an emaciated child wrapped in saran wrap. A spokesperson said police are still waiting to identify the body and determine the manner of death. Searching Cedrick Britten's Maryland home According to charging documents, Britten did not react when troopers arrived at his home and informed him of the abduction allegations. He later told police he was calm because "he used to be special forces in the military and has dealt with human trafficking before." When troopers checked Randle's home, they noticed gloves in a downstairs trash can and another pair in Randle and Nola's room, according to court documents. During a search of Britten's car, police found a "child-sized" blanket with a "reddish brown smear consistent with blood," according to court documents. Britten told police the blanket was not his and he had gotten it from a stranger he met in a park during the summer of 2024.
