The body of three-year-old Nola Dinkins has been found wrapped in plastic wrap inside a suitcase in a vacant lot in North East, Maryland, following a false kidnapping report that triggered an Amber Alert in Delaware. The child’s mother and her boyfriend now face murder charges in connection with the girl’s death.
On June 10, 2025, at approximately 7:15 p.m., 31-year-old Darrian Randle contacted New Castle County police in Delaware to report that her daughter had been abducted at gunpoint in the 500 block of Gender Road in Newark, Delaware. Randle claimed she had pulled over to comfort her upset daughter when an unknown man approached them with a weapon and took the child before fleeing in a dark-colored SUV driven by a white female.
The report prompted authorities to issue an Amber Alert, launching an intensive overnight search for the missing child. However, detectives later determined that Randle’s account was false and canceled the alert on June 11, 2025, when the investigation shifted to a homicide case.
As part of standard procedure in missing children investigations, Maryland State Police troopers went to Randle’s last known address on the 300 block of Elk Nest Drive in North East, Cecil County, Maryland, to ensure the child was not mistakenly left at home. There, they contacted 44-year-old Cedrick Antoine Britten, Randle’s boyfriend, who told officers the child had left with her mother.
During their investigation, troopers noticed security cameras outside Britten’s home and requested to view the footage. The video showed only Randle leaving the house, with no sign of the child. When officers searched the residence, they detected a strong odor of cleaning products, specifically bleach. A subsequent search of Britten’s BMW revealed a child-sized blanket with a reddish-brown smear consistent with blood.
Under questioning by Delaware authorities, Randle eventually confessed that her kidnapping report was fabricated. According to charging documents, she admitted to striking her daughter with a belt 15 to 20 times on June 9, 2025, during the daytime hours at Britten’s home. Court documents state that after the beating, the child fell to the ground and was not moving. When Randle realized her daughter was no longer breathing, she called for Britten, who attempted CPR but was unsuccessful.
Following the child’s death, the couple drove around with the body in Britten’s vehicle before returning home. Randle told investigators she placed her daughter’s body in a blue suitcase and left it on the basement stairs overnight. The next day, she asked Britten to dispose of the suitcase. Court documents indicate that Britten later sent Randle a photograph of a park after removing the suitcase.
On June 11, 2025, during an interview with Maryland State Police, Britten provided investigators with a hand-drawn map indicating where he believed the child’s body had been disposed of. Using this information, authorities located human remains around 1:45 p.m. in a vacant lot on Dune Drive in North East, Cecil County, directly behind Britten’s residence.
The remains were discovered inside a suitcase and were consistent with those of an emaciated child. According to investigators, the body was “completely wrapped in Saran Wrap.” On July 11, 2025, Maryland State Police confirmed that the remains had been positively identified as those of Nola Dinkins.
Randle has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a minor under 13, and falsely reporting an incident to police. She is being held on one million dollars cash bail at the Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in New Castle, Delaware, and awaits extradition to Maryland.
Britten faces charges including accessory to first- and second-degree murder after the fact, child abuse resulting in death, and failure to report a child death. He was initially released on 75,000 dollars bond with home detention, but was later taken into custody on additional charges on July 2, 2025. He is currently being held without bond at the Cecil County Detention Center.
The case has deeply affected the North East community, with neighbors expressing shock at the allegations. One resident indicated that Britten had attended a neighborhood homeowners association meeting on the night the child was reported missing, showing no signs of distress or unusual behavior.
The child’s father, Dominique Dinkins, has established a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral expenses and legal fees. In his tribute, he described his daughter as bringing infectious energy and warmth to everyone she met, writing that she made him a better father and person.
The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit continues to investigate the case, with charges pending consultation with the Office of the State’s Attorney in Cecil County. Both defendants face potential life sentences if convicted of the murder charges.
