NORTH EAST, Md. — New information has surfaced concerning a Maryland woman who initially reported that her daughter had been kidnapped at gunpoint in Delaware, only to face charges for the girl’s murder less than a day later.
Darrian Randle, 31, of North East, Maryland, is being charged with murder and related offenses in the death of 3-year-old Nola Dinkins.
Authorities stated that Randle informed them Nola was abducted by a man with a gun in Newark, Delaware, on Tuesday night after stopping on the roadside. This claim led to an Amber Alert, which was later withdrawn.
However, charging documents show that Randle eventually admitted that the story was made up.
She allegedly told police that she struck the child 15 to 20 times with a belt during the daytime hours on Monday.
Nola fell to the ground and was not moving. Randle allegedly said she picked up Nola and realized she wasn’t breathing.
She told police she called for her boyfriend, 44-year-old Cedrick Britten, who attempted CPR, but realized the child was dead.
Randle allegedly told police she and Britten placed Nola’s body in her car and drove around, but ended up back home.
Mother of missing 3-year-old girl in Delaware charged with murder
She placed Nola’s body in a suitcase and placed it on the basement stairs, documents show.
Randle and Britten provided conflicting stories regarding the relocation of the body, but following interviews with both individuals, police reported that they managed to find the suitcase in an empty lot in Cecil County.
The human remains inside, described by police as those of an “emaciated child,” were found wrapped in plastic wrap.
Meanwhile, court documents out of Indiana detail a custody battle between Randle and Nola’s biological father. He tried to stop her from leaving Indiana this year.
Randle remains jailed in Delaware awaiting extradition back to Maryland.
Britten had a bail hearing in Maryland on Thursday morning. His most serious charges are for accessory after the fact of murder.
He made bail and is currently out on home detention, according to the Cecil County state’s attorney.
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