Latest news with #NolaDinkins
CBS News
14 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
15 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:
CBS News
21 hours 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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Nola Dinkins: Mom, boyfriend charged in suspected death of 3-year-old girl
The Brief Darrian Randle, 31, and Cedrick Antoine Britten, 44, of North East, Maryland, have been charged in connection with a three-year-old missing child, Nola Dinkins, identified in an Amber Alert in New Castle County. Police canceled the Amber Alert for the three-year-old after her mother, Randle, confessed to fabricating a story saying the child was abducted at gunpoint. Human remains, consistent with that of a child, were found in a vacant lot in Cecil County, Maryland Wednesday. NEWARK, DE - Two people have been charged in connection with a suspected death of a three-year-old who was previously reported missing. The backstory On Tuesday, June 10 at around 7:15 p.m., New Castle County police officers responded to the 500 block of Gender Road for a report of a possible kidnapping. Upon arrival, 31-year-old Darrian Randle of Newark, told police that she pulled over to comfort her daughter, identified as 3-year-old Nola Dinkins, when a man approached them at gunpoint and took the girl. She said the suspect then fled in a dark-colored SUV driven by a white female. An Amber Alert was then issued for 3-year-old Nola, prompting an overnight investigation by the New Castle County Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit and the FBI. Detectives later determined Darrian's story was false and canceled the Amber Alert. Then, the Maryland State Police (MDSP) began investigating the case. On Wednesday, MDSP recovered the remains of a human consistent with that of a child. The remains were found in a vacant lot in Cecil County. What we know In an update Wednesday, Elena Russo, a MDSP spokesperson, said Randle, 31, and her boyfriend, Cedrick Antoine Britten, 44, both of North East, Maryland, were arrested and charged in connection to the investigation. Randle has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree of child abuse resulting in death of a minor under thirteen, and other related criminal charges. Britten has been charged with accessory to first- and second-degree murder after the fact, failure to report child death, and other related criminal charges. Dig deeper Police went to Randle's last known address in North East, where they made contact with Britten. Further investigation and questioning led to the recovery of human remains in the vacant lot. What's next Randle is currently in police custody at the New Castle County Division of Police awaiting extradition. Britten is in police custody in Maryland and awaiting transport to the Cecil County District Court for an initial appearance. MDSP is awaiting positive identification of the remains, pending autopsy results. The Source The information in this story is from Maryland State Police and New Castle County police.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
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.'
