The Delaware mother of missing 3-year-old Nola Dinkins is now charged with murder after allegedly lying to police about a gunpoint kidnapping of the child and sparking a nationwide manhunt.
Darrian Randle, 31, initially told New Castle County police Tuesday that she pulled over in Newark, Delaware, after Dinkins became upset, when a man approached and abducted the toddler at gunpoint. Officials issued an AMBER Alert for Dinkins, but upon investigation, they found the mother’s report to be false, prompting its cancellation.
Randle was arrested Wednesday in Maryland and 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.
Cedrick Antoine Britten, 44, of North East, Maryland, was also charged with accessory to first and second-degree murder after the fact, failure to report child death, and other related criminal charges.
Britten is in police custody in Maryland and awaiting transport to the Cecil County District Court for an initial appearance. Maryland State Police responded to Randle’s last known address in North East on Wednesday, where they found Britten.
Investigators uncovered possible criminal activity that led to the discovery of human remains in a vacant lot. The remains appear to be those of a young child, with identification pending autopsy results, police said. Further details of the child’s death have not been released.
Randle originally told police in Delaware that the man who took her child was wearing a black hoodie and gray basketball shorts and was armed with a handgun.
She claimed he fled in an older model black or dark-colored SUV, likely a Ford or Chevrolet, with rust or dirt on its exterior. The vehicle was reportedly driven by a white woman with blonde hair, believed to be an accomplice.
Anyone with information relevant to this investigation is urged to contact the Maryland State Police North East Barrack at (410) 996-7800.
