Serenity McKinney case: What we know about the missing Kentucky 4-year-old found dead
McKinney was last seen by her extended family members in Shelbyville on Christmas Eve 2020. Her remains were found in February 2022.
Four-year-old Serenity Ann McKinney was last seen by her extended family members in Shelbyville, Kentucky on Christmas Eve 2020. More than a year later, she was reported missing to the Shelby County Sheriff's Department.
On Feb. 18, 2022, Serenity's remains were found in West Point.
Her biological mother, Catherine "Abby" McKinney was arrested along with her boyfriend. They are both facing murder charges.
Timeline What happened to Serenity?
Christmas Eve was the last time Serenity's extended family members in Shelbyville, Kentucky said they saw the child. After that, they were in communication with Serenity and her mother, Catherine "Abby" McKinney, until June 2021, which was the last time they spoke over the phone.
In the fall of 2021, Brad Davis and Aundria Wainscott, who said they're the father and stepmother Abby McKinney, said their daughter cut off all communication with her extended family.
On Jan. 31, 2022, they filed a missing person report for Serenity and warrants were executed in Shelby, Bullitt and Jefferson County.
On Feb. 3, Attorney General Daniel Cameron issued a statement on Serenity's case. Cameron said Serenity's family was not cooperating with the investigation.
He said the Attorney General's Special Victims Unit was partnering with the Shelby and Bullitt County Sheriff's Departments, Kentucky State Police and the U.S. Secret Service to investigate the case.
On Sunday, Feb. 6, Abby McKinney and her boyfriend, Dakota Hill, were arrested in Kansas and charged with custodial interference. Serenity was not with them when they were taken into custody and it's unknown why they were in Kansas.
When asked where Serenity was, Abby invoked her 5th amendment right not to speak with law enforcement, according to Capt. Kyle Tipton with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department.
According to Kentucky State Police, Serenity McKinney’s remains were found on Friday, Feb. 18 in West Point around the 1300 block of Skyview Road near the Jefferson-Bullitt County line.
Serenity’s body was taken by the Bullitt County Coroner’s Office to the Kentucky Medical Examiners Office in Louisville for an autopsy that took place on Feb. 19.
Those results have not yet been released.
Abby McKinney and Dakota Hill are expected to appear in court on Wednesday, March 2. They are charged with murder and abuse of a corpse in Serenity's death. A judge has set their bonds at $1 million.
PHOTOS | Serenity McKinney
Family speaks out 'There was a heck of a future ahead of her'
Serenity's father, DJ Roller, and her extended family are now left with only memories of a beautiful little girl.
They said Serenity was a budding singer, puzzle solver, fisher and princess.
"You could tell there was a heck of a future ahead of her, just breathtaking,” Roller said.
Roller and the rest of the family are now mourning their insurmountable loss, knowing this is not the end.
"I’m not going to stop, I’m going to keep pushing until justice is served,” he said.
Charges explained What is custodial interference?
Abby McKinney and her boyfriend, Dakota Hill were originally charged with custodial interference in relation to Serenity's case.
The Legal Information Institute defines custodial interference as "a parent breaking court determined custodial instructions. This can be as major as taking a child from the sole custodian or as minimal as calling a child more than directed."
Custodial interference in Kentucky is a Class D felony unless the person taken from lawful custody is returned voluntarily. People convicted of Class D felonies in Kentucky face one to five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
The Commonwealth's Custodial Interference law is found in KRS 509.070 and is defined as follows, "A person is guilty of Custodial Interference when, knowing that he has no legal right to do so, he takes, entices or keeps from lawful custody any mentally disabled or other person entrusted by authority of law to the custody of another person or to an institution."
No Amber Alert Why one wasn't issued for Serenity
Why wasn't an Amber Alert issued for Serenity McKinnley?
"Because she had been missing for a year at that point," explained Shelby County Sheriff's Deputy Shelby Guffey. "We had no direction of travel, we had no exact placement of where she went missing from."
- There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
- The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
- The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
- The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.
That first criterion is crucial and Deputy Guffey said they did not have a reasonable belief that it was an abduction.
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