2 days ago
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.
