An Amber Alert issued for 3-year-old Nola Dinkins has been canceled after authorities discovered that the child’s mother fabricated a story about her daughter being abducted at gunpoint.
Darrian Randle, 31, has been taken into custody and charged with felony false reporting, according to local news outlets. Maryland State Police have confirmed that there was no abduction, and an ongoing investigation has since transitioned into a homicide case.
The police were first alerted to a possible kidnapping around 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday when Randle alleged in her report that a man approached her at gunpoint and forcibly took her daughter. She claimed to have been pulled over to comfort Nola when the incident occurred. Randle described the suspect’s vehicle as a dark-colored SUV driven by a white female.
Following this alarming report, police in Delaware activated an Amber Alert and initiated a large-scale search, which involved the New Castle County Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit and the FBI. However, as the investigation progressed, it became clear that Randle’s account was fabricated.
A press release from the New Castle County Police confirmed the cancellation of the Amber Alert after determining that Randle’s claims were false. The report pointed out that the investigation has sadly turned into a homicide inquiry, with Maryland State Police and the FBI working together to uncover the truth behind the situation.
As part of the investigation’s developments, authorities stated that a body was recovered in Cecil County, though positive identification is still pending. An autopsy is being performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore to determine the identity of the remains, which are ‘consistent with that of a child,’ as noted by police.
Randle now faces multiple charges, including first- and second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a minor under thirteen, and filing a false police report in Delaware, among other related offenses. Following her arrest, she is being held on a $1 million cash bond and is awaiting extradition to Cecil County.
In a bombshell revelation, Randle allegedly confessed to law enforcement that she had fabricated the kidnapping story in an attempt to divert attention away from her boyfriend, Cedric Britten, 44, who is also facing legal troubles in connection with the case. Britten has been charged as an accessory to first- and second-degree murder after the fact and for failure to report child death, among other charges. He is currently in police custody in Maryland.
Elena Russo, a spokesperson for the Maryland State Police, shared during a news conference, “Our homicide unit investigators had enough information gleaned through the investigation that connected these two individuals with the disappearance of this 3-year-old.”
The developments in this heartbreaking case have left the community in shock, as police work to piece together the events leading up to the tragic turn of events. With the transition from a missing person case to a homicide investigation, all eyes are now on the ongoing inquiries and the implications for those involved.
As investigations continue, the focus remains on uncovering the full truth and ensuring that justice is served for Nola Dinkins.
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