'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The body of Serenity McKinney, a 4-year-old Kentucky girl who had been missing for more than a year, was found along a winding road lined by woods in West Point, Kentucky last Friday.
Catherine McKinney, the 21-year-old mother of Serenity, and her boyfriend Dakota Hill, 26, who were already in custody, have been charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.
All that is known about the Serenity McKinney murder case
According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Serenity McKinney was first reported missing on January 31, 2022, by concerned family members who said that the little girl was last seen on Christmas 2020.
Her grandfather, who was among those to file the missing report, stated that he received unsatisfactory answers from Catherine and Dakota when he asked them about Serenity. As for Catherine, who cut Serenity's grandparents off in the fall, Serenity's step-grandmother Aundrea Wainscott told WHAS:
"This is out of her character. She had gotten back in contact with us through messenger, pretty much saying they’re OK, but still wouldn’t let us talk to Serenity or show us Serenity."
Attorney General Daniel Cameron and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office have been asking the public to help them locate the child ever since she was reported missing last January.
Catherine McKinney and Dakota Hill were first arrested on charges of custodial interference when Catherine failed to produce the child following the court's order. The couple, who allegedly skipped town, were arrested in Kansas and extradited to Kentucky earlier this month.
On February 13, family, friends, and strangers came together on the steps of the Shelby County Courthouse hoping for Serenity's safe return. Serenity's great uncle, Chris Banta, stated during the vigil:
"The whole family is hurting right now. We just want to get more awareness out there so she can be brought home safe."
The organizer of the vigil, Danielle Ingabrand, noted:
"We know she's out there and she's somewhere and we just want someone to step forward with where she is."
However, according to Kentucky State Police, Serenity's body was found near the 1300 block of Skyview Road in West Point, near the edge of Jefferson and Bullitt counties, last Friday at about 2:00 pm.
According to a report by WHAS, an autopsy took place on Saturday at the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office in Louisville. However, the results are yet to be announced.
