A Delaware mother who reported her 3-year-old daughter missing on Tuesday was charged with murder in Maryland after officials determined the abduction claim was false, according to police.
Darrian Randle, 31, was initially arrested for falsely reporting by New Castle County Police before authorities expanded their investigation and charged her with murder and other offenses in Maryland linked to the death of her daughter, Nola Dinkins.
A spokesperson for the Maryland State Police told Newsweek that investigators are “committed to bringing closure to the family and community.”
New Castle County Police
The Context
The case prompted an AMBER Alert, mobilizing federal, state and local law enforcement in a multi-state investigation.
In order to issue an AMBER Alert, authorities must confirm that an abduction has occurred.
“To allow activations in the absence of significant information that an abduction has occurred could lead to abuse of the system and ultimately weaken its effectiveness,” the Department of Justice said on its website. “At the same time, each case must be appraised on its own merits and a judgment call made quickly.”
What To Know
On Tuesday evening, patrol officers responded to a 911 call on the 500 block of Gender Road in Newark. Randle reported that her daughter, Dinkins, had been abducted by an unknown male armed with a handgun who allegedly fled in a dark SUV, New Castle County Police said in a news release. This led authorities to issue an AMBER Alert for the missing child, launching an intensive investigation involving New Castle County Police, Maryland State Police and the FBI.
Detectives later determined that Randle’s story was false, according to New Castle County Police. She was charged with felony falsely reporting and booked into the Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in lieu of $1 million cash bail. The Amber Alert was subsequently canceled. Officials announced that the case is now being investigated as a homicide.
Maryland State Police charged Randle with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, child abuse, reckless endangerment, neglect, burying/disposing of a body in an unauthorized place, and failure to report a child death, according to records obtained by the Delaware News Journal. A second individual, 44-year-old Cedrick Antoine Britten, was also arrested and charged as an accessory to first- and second-degree murder after the fact, along with related offenses.
Human remains consistent with a young child were found in a vacant lot in North East, Maryland, on Wednesday.
Identification of the remains is pending autopsy results by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.
What People Are Saying
Maryland State Police spokesperson, in comments to Newsweek: “Investigators with the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit are committed to bringing closure to the family and community affected by the tragic case involving the missing 3-year-old.”
New Castle County Police, in a news release: “This remains an active investigation for both the New Castle County Division of Police and the Maryland State Police.”
What Happens Next
The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit is leading the investigation with assistance from the FBI and New Castle County Police.
Police said Britten is in custody in Maryland, awaiting transport to the Cecil County District Court for an initial appearance. Randle is in custody in Delaware and is expected to be extradited.
A Maryland State Police spokesperson said they do not have a timeline for Randle’s extradition. The spokesperson said they did not have any further updates at this time.
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Update 06/12/25 1:08 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
