A Maryland mom faces murder charges after her toddler went missing. At first, the mom reported that her daughter had been taken, prompting an AMBER Alert. Soon, police came across a body, believing it to possibly be the young girl, Nola Dinkins.
An investigation is now underway into what could have happened to the little girl. But her mom is being held in jail, and her boyfriend also faces charges. Police are still in the early stages of the investigation, but the FBI is involved, so details should emerge quickly.
Around 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, Delaware’s New Castle County Police responded to a call from 33-year-old Darrian Randle, mother of Nola Dinkins, police said in a statement. Randle said the 3-year-old was kidnapped.
“Nola’s mother advised that she had pulled over after Nola became upset and was attempting to comfort her when an unknown white male armed with a handgun approached the vehicle and took Nola,” the statement read. The man allegedly got into a dark colored SUV with the girl.
An AMBER Alert was issued for the girl. The New Castle County Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit and the FBI began an investigation that went through the night.
“As a result of that investigation, detectives determined the initial account of the incident given by the mother was false,” the statement read. The AMBER Alert was subsequently canceled. “Sadly, this incident is now being treated as a homicide investigation by the Maryland State Police.”
The Maryland State Police shared a press release on Wednesday, June 11, with an update about the investigation. Around 1:45 p.m. investigators “located human remains consistent with that of a young child,” the statement read. “Positive identification of the remains is pending autopsy results by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.”
Randle and her 44-year-old boyfriend, Cedrick Antoine Britten, were arrested in connection to the disappearance of Nola Dinkins. Randle was charged with first- and second-degree murder. She was also charged with first degree of child abuse resulting in death of a minor under thirteen, among other related criminal charges. Britten was charged with accessory to first- and second-degree murder after the fact, failure to report child death, and other related criminal charges.
Investigators are still working hard to figure out what happened to the little girl, and the investigation will remain ongoing.
