The Murder of Nola Dinkins
| Full Name | Nola Q. Dinkins |
| Age at Death | 3 |
| Location | North East, Maryland |
| Mother | Darrian Randle |
| Father | Dominique Dinkins |
Nola Dinkins
Nola Q. Dinkins was three years old. She lived with her mother, Darrian Randle, and her mother's boyfriend, Cedrick Britten, at a home on Elk Nest Drive in North East, Cecil County, Maryland. Her father, Dominique Dinkins, described her as his one and only child, a girl who brought infectious energy and warmth to everyone she met. He wrote that she made him a better man and father.
Community members in North East, as well as the local organization CASA of Cecil County, organized a vigil in Nola's honor after her death, ensuring she would not be forgotten. Her father established a GoFundMe to help cover her funeral costs and memorial service expenses.
There were no publicly reported concerns about Nola's safety prior to her death. She was three years old and could not protect herself.
What We Know
On the morning of June 9, 2025, Darrian Randle beat her three-year-old daughter Nola Dinkins with a belt approximately 15 to 20 times at the home she shared with her boyfriend, Cedrick Britten, on Elk Nest Drive in North East, Cecil County, Maryland. After the beating, Nola fell to the ground and was not moving. Randle picked her up and realized she was no longer breathing. She called for Britten, who attempted CPR, but the child was already dead.
Rather than contacting emergency services, Randle and Britten placed Nola's body in Britten's BMW and drove around before returning home. They then placed the child inside a blue suitcase and left it on the basement stairs overnight. Randle checked on the suitcase once during the night. The following day, Randle asked Britten to dispose of it. Britten removed the suitcase and later sent Randle a photograph of a park to indicate where the child had been taken.
On the evening of June 10, Randle contacted New Castle County Police in Newark, Delaware, and reported that Nola had been abducted at gunpoint. She described a bald white man in a black hoodie who approached her car while she had pulled over to comfort her daughter, took Nola at gunpoint, and fled in a dark SUV driven by a white woman with blonde hair. An Amber Alert was issued. Investigators quickly identified inconsistencies between Randle's account and the available evidence. Surveillance footage showed Randle leaving her residence without Nola. When Maryland State Police visited Britten at the Elk Nest Drive home, they noticed a strong odor of bleach and found a child-sized blanket in Britten's vehicle with a reddish-brown smear consistent with blood. The Amber Alert was canceled and the investigation was reclassified as a homicide.
How It Unfolded
The Investigation
The investigation began as a missing child case in New Castle County, Delaware, after Randle's false kidnapping report prompted an Amber Alert. The New Castle County Police Department, the FBI, and Maryland State Police all joined the search. Inconsistencies in Randle's account emerged quickly. Surveillance footage showed Randle leaving her residence that evening without Nola, contradicting her claim that the child was taken from her car while she was present.
When Maryland State Police responded to Britten's address in North East as part of standard procedure, officers noted a strong odor of bleach inside the home. A search of Britten's BMW with his consent revealed a child-sized pink and white blanket with a reddish-brown smear consistent with blood. Britten denied ownership of the blanket. Under questioning in Delaware, Randle's account continued to shift before she admitted the kidnapping report was fabricated and confessed to the beating. Britten then cooperated with investigators and provided a hand-drawn map to the disposal site.
The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, with assistance from the FBI and the Cecil County State's Attorney's Office, led the investigation following the recovery of remains. Charges were filed in both Maryland and Delaware. The official cause and manner of Nola's death was to be determined by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The Accused
She Is Not Forgotten
Nola Q. Dinkins was three years old. She had infectious energy and warmth. She connected with everyone she met. Her father said she made him a better man and a better father. She was too young to understand what was happening to her and too small to stop it. She deserved safety. She deserved someone to call when she needed help. She did not have that.
When her community in North East, Maryland learned what had happened to her, they gathered. They lit candles. CASA of Cecil County helped organize a vigil so that Nola would not disappear into a case number. She did not. Her name has been spoken by people who never met her, in communities far from Cecil County, because the story of what was done to her is one that cannot be looked away from.
Her father is fighting for her in the only ways left to him. Nola deserves justice and she deserves to be remembered as the little girl she was, full of life and warmth, before any of this happened to her.
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 — 24/7 crisis intervention and referrals for child abuse concerns.
Maryland Child Abuse Reporting: 1-800-332-6347 — To report suspected child abuse or neglect in Maryland.
CASA of Cecil County: casaofcecilcounty.org — Advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children in Cecil County courts.
Related Cases
No posts found!