A mother faces murder charges following her earlier assertion that her 3-year-old daughter had been abducted, as reported by authorities.
On Wednesday, June 11, Maryland State Police (MSP) announced that Darrian Randle, 31, has been taken into custody and faces serious charges including first and second-degree murder, as well as first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of her 3-year-old daughter, Nola Dinkins, among other related offenses.
Randle, hailing from Newark, Delaware, previously claimed that on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, she had stopped her vehicle to soothe Nola, who was distressed, when an unidentified white male wielding a handgun approached and abducted Nola. According to a statement from the New Castle County Police (NCCPD) posted on Facebook Wednesday, the suspect subsequently escaped in a dark-colored SUV operated by a white female.
“An Amber Alert was 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 account was false,” the news release continued.
Authorities announced the cancellation of the Amber Alert earlier on Wednesday, revealing that the case has now been handed over to the MSP and is under investigation as a homicide. Authorities have confirmed that Randle faces a charge of felony for making a false report.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the MSP announced the arrest of a second individual, Cedrick Antoine Britten, 44, from North East, Maryland. According to a Facebook post, he faces charges including accessory to first and second-degree murder after the fact, failure to report a child’s death, and additional related criminal offenses.
According to police reports cited by ABC-affiliate station WPVI, Randle is in a relationship with Britten.
Authorities reported the discovery of human remains on Wednesday afternoon, with the body believed to belong to a young child still awaiting identification.
“The New Castle County Division of Police requested Maryland State Police to respond to Randle’s last known address in North East where they made contact with Britten. Further investigation led to potential criminal activity which subsequently led to the recovery of human remains in a vacant lot in North East, Maryland,” per the MSP news release.
“At 1:45 p.m. [local time] today, investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit located human remains consistent with that of a young child. Positive identification of the remains is pending autopsy results by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore,” the release continued.
The MSP stated in the announcement, “Randle is presently in police custody at the New Castle County Division of Police, pending extradition,” while “Britten is in police custody in Maryland and is set to be transported to the Cecil County District Court for an initial appearance.”
The NCCPD announced on Facebook that Randle has been “committed to the Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in lieu of $1,000,000 cash bail.”
A preliminary court hearing for Randle is set to take place on Monday, June 23, as indicated by online inmate records.
