A Maryland woman accused of murdering her 3-year-old daughter after falsely reporting her kidnapping allegedly confessed to police about beating her child to death.
Darrian Randle, 31, was charged with the murder of her 3-year-old daughter, Nola Dinkins, on Wednesday, after initially telling police in Delaware that the child had been abducted.
Later that day, Delaware police announced that the investigation was being conducted as a homicide and would be handled by the Maryland State Police.
Human remains consistent with those of a young child were discovered on Wednesday afternoon near Randle’s boyfriend’s home, Maryland authorities said.
Several local media outlets have obtained charging documents, which have revealed some of the tragic and gruesome details.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, the Delaware investigation was transferred to Maryland after police discovered that Randle and her daughter lived in an apartment complex in North East Cecil County.
When state troopers arrived at the address, they found Randle’s boyfriend, 44-year-old Cedrick Antoine Britten.
According to charging documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WBAL, Britten informed troopers that Randle had left the apartment with Nola. Troopers reviewed surveillance video from the property and found Randle leaving alone, noting that Nola was “never observed on camera.”
Britten allowed the troopers to search the house, which they said smelled like bleach and other cleaning products.
According to the documents, a child’s blanket was found inside Britten’s vehicle, and troopers suspected it had a blood stain. Britten allegedly claimed it belonged to someone he met in a park the previous summer.
NBC affiliate WCAU in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also obtained the documents, which noted Britten’s demeanor as “very neutral,” prompting troopers to question him about it.
Britten explained that “he used to be special forces in the military and has dealt with human trafficking before,” according to Baltimore-based CBS affiliate WJZ, which also obtained the documents.
Meanwhile, Delaware authorities were interviewing Randle about the alleged kidnapping she had reported.
As her story about the abduction by an unidentified white couple in a van crumbled, Randle allegedly confessed to “physically striking (the child) with a belt approximately 15-20 times about her body during the daytime hours on Monday.”
Randle allegedly told Delaware police that Nola was unresponsive after the beating and she couldn’t wake her up. She reportedly attempted CPR, but Nola had already died.
Randle and Britten put Nola in his vehicle and “drove around for a while” before returning home, according to WCAU.
The couple then allegedly placed Nola’s dead body in a suitcase and left it in the basement overnight. Randle then asked Britten to dispose of the suitcase containing her daughter’s body, police said.
Britten allegedly drove the suitcase to Perryville Community Park and claimed to have left it there.
He reportedly snapped a photo of the park and sent it to Randle. According to the charging documents, he drew a map that led police to the location, which was near his home.
Police discovered the suitcase around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, according to charging documents. Inside were human remains, “consistent with an emaciated child and completely wrapped in Saran Wrap.”
As of Friday morning, Maryland State Police had not received an update from the medical examiner regarding the positive identification of the remains, nor the cause or manner of death.
Randle is now facing felony charges in two states. In Delaware, she is charged with false reporting; in Maryland, she is charged with first and second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a minor under the age of 13, and other charges related to her daughter’s presumed death.
She remains in custody in Delaware, where she is being held on a $1 million bond. Randle is expected to be extradited to Cecil County, Maryland.
Britten was released on $75,000 bond on Thursday after being charged as an accessory to first- and second-degree murder, among other charges. He was ordered to remain in home detention.
