Maryland mother claimed a gunman kidnapped her 3-year-old daughter, but a jury convicted her of first-degree murder charges

A Maryland jury reached a verdict on Monday, June 8, finding Darrian Randle guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse in the death of her 3-year-old daughter, Nola Dinkins. This case is deeply disturbing, as it involves a mother who attempted to cover up her actions by spinning a false narrative about a kidnapping. It is a relief to see that the investigation caught up to the facts, as the truth behind Nola’s disappearance is far more tragic than the story Randle initially told.

According to People, the deception began on June 10, 2025, when Randle, who is 32, claimed that an unknown white male had kidnapped her daughter at gunpoint in New Castle County. Investigators were suspicious of her account almost immediately, and police determined her story was entirely false. By the next day, authorities had charged Randle in connection with the disappearance of her child.

The reality of what happened inside a home in North East, Maryland, on June 9, 2025, was uncovered through a grim investigation by the Maryland State Police and the New Castle County Division of Police. Court documents reveal that Randle beat her daughter over 20 times until the young girl collapsed. Her boyfriend, 44-year-old Cedrick Britten, attempted to perform CPR on Nola, but the child could not be revived.

She fabricated a fake kidnapping plot to cover up the crime

Instead of seeking help, the couple allegedly moved to hide their actions. They placed Nola’s emaciated body in Britten’s 2019 BMW and eventually kept the body in a suitcase, which they left on their basement steps overnight. Randle reportedly asked Britten to move the suitcase the following morning. Police eventually discovered the suitcase containing Nola’s body in a vacant lot near Britten’s property.

The Maryland State Police provided a timeline of the recovery in a news release, stating, “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, who was present at the North East home when police arrived, eventually provided investigators with a map indicating exactly where they could find the suitcase. He is facing his own legal consequences for his role in this situation. He was charged with accessory to first and second-degree murder in June 2025, and his trial is currently scheduled for August 2026.

It is clear that the evidence against both individuals was significant, especially given the details regarding the state of the body and the map provided to authorities. The efforts to deflect blame resemble other investigations where a mother fabricated an explanation to hide fatal injuries before eventually being convicted. As for Randle, she is now awaiting her sentencing, which is set for October 2026. She faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.

While legal proceedings are still ongoing for her partner, the conviction of Randle marks a significant conclusion to the initial criminal case regarding the death of Nola Dinkins.