Maryland Mother Convicted of Killing Daughter, 3, After Kidnapping Claims
A Maryland mother has been convicted of killing her 3-year-old daughter after she faked a kidnapping report for the child.
Darrian Randle was found guilty of first-degree murder,two counts of child abuse, neglect and assault in connection to the death of her daughter, Nola Dinkins, on Monday June 8. Randle, 32, was convicted one year after she reported that Dinkins was kidnapped.
Randle claimed on June 10, 2025, that an unknown white male kidnapped Dinkins at gunpoint in New Castle County. The next day, she was charged in connection with her disappearance after authorities determined that her version of events were false, according to press releases shared by the New Castle County Police and Maryland State Police.
Dinkins' emaciated body was later found wrapped in plastic inside a suitcase. It was determined that she was killed on June 9, 2025, at a home where Randle's boyfriend, Cedrick Britten, was staying, according to court documents obtained by Delaware Online.
As the investigation continued, Randle was accused of beating her daughter to death and hiding her body in a suitcase with her boyfriend's help. Britten, 44, was later charged with accessory to first and second-degree murder in June 2025, according to CBS News Baltimore.
Randle was accused of beating her daughter at least 20 times until she collapsed. Britten then performed CPR on Dinkins, but was unable to revive her.
After the couple concluded that Dinkins was dead, they drove her home and placed her body in a suitcase, according to court documents viewed by Delaware Online.
Randle and Dinkins left the suitcase on their basement steps overnight, and she allegedly asked her boyfriend to send the suitcase somewhere else the following day.
Police officers later found the suitcase in a vacant lot near Britten's property.
"The New Castle County Division of Police requested Maryland State Police to respond to Randle's last known address in North East, where they made contact with Britten. Further investigation led to potential criminal activity, which subsequently led to the recovery of human remains in a vacant lot in North East," the MSP said in a June 2025 press release.
The release continued, "At 1:45 p.m. today, investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit located human remains consistent with that of a young child. Positive identification of the remains is pending autopsy results by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore."
Britten's trial is scheduled to take place in August, according to CBS News Baltimore. It is not currently clear if he has entered a plea.
Randle's sentencing hearing will take place in October. If she receives the maximum penalty, Randle could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:02 PM.