The mother of a 3-year-old girl whom police say falsely reported that her daughter was abducted has been charged with lying to police following an “intensive” nightlong investigation that involved multiple police agencies, including the FBI.
Darrian Randle, 31, was charged with one felony count of false reporting for calling New Castle County Police on the evening of June 10 to say her daughter, Nola Dinkins, was abducted at gunpoint in the 500 block of Gender Road in Ogletown.
Police now believe Dinkins to be dead, with Maryland State Police saying just before 4:30 p.m. on June 11 that a body had been found in Cecil County.
The agency said investigators are “waiting on positive identification.”
The 500 block of Gender Road in Ogletown where the child’s mother claimed her daughter was kidnapped from.
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Randle told police that she was driving and Dinkins was upset, so she stopped the car to calm the girl down about 7:15 p.m. She claimed that’s when the little girl was taken.
Police said at a brief news conference on June 11 that the story was a lie.
“The Amber Alert is now canceled and there’s no danger to the public,” said New Castle County Police Sgt. Andrea Botterbusch. “Sadly, this incident is now being treated as a homicide investigation.”
Elena Russo, a spokesperson for the Maryland State Police, confirmed they are leading the investigation. She said police believe the child lived in Cecil County, Maryland.
Who is Darrian Randle?
Little information about Randle was immediately known. A largely private Facebook profile showcased two photos that appeared to be of Dinkins when she was a baby.
Court records from Indiana, where public records show Randle lived for many years, show a paternity case with Dinkins’ father was resolved in March of this year. Randle had filed a notice of relocation in January.
The case ultimately went to mediation and was resolved, court records show.
When reached by Delaware Online/The News Journal via phone on June 11, Dinkins’ paternal grandmother directed a reporter to a family spokesperson. That woman, who did not give her name, said the family did not have “anything to share at this moment.”
This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Mom of girl who was subject of Amber Alert charged with lying to police