A tragedy unfolded with the discovery of a body believed to be that of three-year-old Nola Dinkins, originally reported as kidnapped and now named the center of a homicide investigation. The girl's mother, Darrian Randle, 31, and her boyfriend, Cedrick Britten, 44, have been charged in connection with her death. According to WAFB , authorities initially initiated an Amber Alert on Tuesday night after Randle reported her daughter being abducted at gunpoint by a stranger.

The search for Dinkins concluded grimly when Maryland State Police located human remains in a vacant lot in Cecil County, with Randle facing multiple charges that include first and second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse resulting in death, and Britten facing accessory and failure to report a child death charges. This development came after a reported abduction on Tuesday evening, when according to a criminal complaint obtained by 6abc Action News , Randle admitted to lying about the abduction in an attempt to divert attention from her boyfriend.

Amidst heartbreak, Elena Russo, spokesperson for the Maryland State Police, confirmed during a news conference that a body was found, with characteristics similar to that of a child, however, an official identification is pending autopsy results by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, as per FOX59 . Background on Randle reveals a custody battle for Nola, with court documents obtained by FOX59/CBS4 showing that Nola's mother had petitioned to relocate to Maryland from Indiana in June 2023 but withdrew her out-of-state relocation request in March after agreeing to custody terms.

As the community grapples with the tragedy, it was reported by neighbors, who preferred anonymity, that Britten attended an HOA meeting on the night of Nola's reported disappearance; this was shared by 6abc Action News . Randle, currently held on $1 million cash bail, is awaiting extradition to Cecil County while Britten is expected to appear in court for an initial hearing, with the community now mourning the loss of a young life cut devastatingly short and seeking justice in the wake of this harrowing incident.

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