LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A coroner's report reveals the gruesome findings of a months-long investigation into a 4-year-old's murder.
According to the document WHAS11 obtained through an Open Records Request, Serenity McKinney’s skeletal remains were found wrapped in plastic, inside a green suitcase.
The autopsy also found fractures in both her arms and legs, but no definitive evidence of "lethal trauma."
The Bullitt County Coroner’s Office noted the suitcase was also filled with a sand-like substance and a toxicology report found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system.
According to the report, while Serenity's cause of death is undetermined, “the circumstances under which the body was found...indicate a homicidal manner of death.”
Her body was found in February of this year in a wooded area of Bullitt County, near the Jefferson County line. It ended a 6-months-long investigation into her disappearance, though Melody Roller, Serenity's grandmother, said she hadn't been seen by relatives in almost 2 years.
"I want people to remember her by her beautiful smile and not what these monsters did to her," Roller said, adding that she asks the community pray for their family right now.
Serenity’s mother, Catherine "Abby" McKinney, and her boyfriend, Dakota Hill, are both charged with murder and abuse of a corpse in connection to the young girl's death.
While Roller said she never wanted the autopsy to be released, Bullitt County Commonwealth's attorney Bailey Taylor said sometimes it's necessary to share sensitive information, respectfully.
"So it's a delicate line you walk but it's something that in these types of cases you just can't avoid doing," he said.
Taylor also mentioned he doesn't believe this is going to affect the way they present the case.
McKinney and Hill appeared in court on Oct. 10 for a pre-trial hearing. They remain in custody at the Bullitt County Jail awaiting trial on Jan. 31, 2023.
'Heck of a future ahead of her'
Serenity's father, DJ Roller, and her extended family spoke with WHAS11 in February and said they were still grieving their insurmountable loss.
The family said they were left with only memories of a beautiful little girl, saying 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. "I’m not going to stop, I’m going to keep pushing until justice is served."
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