Kentucky couple faces murder charges in connection with missing 4-year-old’s death
02/22/2022 11:46 am PST
SHELBY COUNTY, Ky. (TCD) -- Murder charges have been filed against a 21-year-old mother and her 26-year-old boyfriend in connection with a missing 4-year-old girl whose body was found last week.
On Feb. 3, Serenity McKinney was reported missing by her grandfather. She was reportedly last seen Dec. 24, 2020. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office posted a missing and endangered child announcement about her disappearance.
Serenity’s mother, Catherine McKinney, and her boyfriend, Dakota Hill, refused to cooperate with the investigation and were located in Kansas and booked into the Thomas County Jail. They were held for an outstanding warrant for a charge of custodial interference.
According to a press release from the Kentucky State Police, Serenity’s body was located Feb. 18 at approximately 2 p.m. in a wooded area by the 1300 block Skyview Road in West Point near the Jefferson-Bullitt county line. Police say her body was transported to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The results are pending.
According to police, Serenity’s mother and her boyfriend were charged with murder and abuse of a corpse and are being extradited to Kentucky.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Scotty Sharp told WAVE-TV, "We hoped that this would have a better outcome, that we would find Serenity alive. That’s what we wanted. That’s what we prayed for."
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