Serenity McKinney was a 4-year-old girl from Kentucky who went missing in December 2020. Her body was found in February 2022, wrapped in plastic inside a suitcase in a wooded area near the Jefferson-Bullitt county line. Her mother, Catherine McKinney, and her boyfriend, Dakota Hill, were charged with murder and abuse of a corpse. The case shocked and saddened the public, as it revealed the horrific circumstances of Serenity’s life and death.
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The Disappearance of Serenity McKinney
Serenity was last seen alive by her grandmother on Christmas Eve 2020. According to Fox News, her parents were refusing to cooperate with the authorities and her last location was unknown. It was not until February 2022 that other concerned family members contacted the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and reported that they had not seen Serenity in over a year. The sheriff’s office requested assistance from the Kentucky State Police, who launched an investigation into the missing person case.
The police tracked down McKinney and Hill in Kansas, where they were arrested and extradited back to Kentucky. They were initially charged with custodial interference, but the charges were upgraded to murder and abuse of a corpse after the police found Serenity’s body on February 18, 2022.
The Discovery of Serenity McKinney’s Body
The police located Serenity’s body around 2 p.m. on February 18, 2022, in a wooded area near the 1300 block of Skyview Road in West Point. According to WHAS11, Serenity’s body was wrapped in plastic inside a green suitcase that was also filled with a sand-like substance. The Bullitt County Coroner’s Office transported the body to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville for an autopsy.
The autopsy results were released in October 2022 by Bullitt County Coroner David Billings. According to People, the report stated that Serenity’s cause of death was undetermined, but her manner of death was homicide. The report also indicated that Serenity suffered fractures to her right arm and femur, but there was no definite deadly trauma. The toxicology report found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system.
The Motive and Confession of the Killers
The motive behind Serenity’s murder remains unclear, but some clues suggest that she was a victim of child abuse and neglect by her mother and her boyfriend. According to WLKY, McKinney told the police that she did not want Serenity anymore and that she gave her to Hill to take care of. She also said that she did not know what happened to Serenity after that.
Hill confessed to killing Serenity in May 2022, when he pleaded guilty to murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. According to People, he told the court that he hit Serenity with a metal pipe on December 25, 2020, after she wet the bed. He said that he panicked and put her body in a suitcase, which he later dumped in the woods. He also said that he felt remorse and asked for forgiveness.
The Sentence and Reaction of the Killers
Hill was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his crimes in July 2022. According to People, he said that he had to learn to forgive himself and that he hoped Serenity’s family could find peace. He also said that he loved Serenity and that he wished he could take back what he did.
McKinney was expected to plead guilty to murder in April 2023, according to WLKY. She faced a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison. She did not show any emotion or remorse during her court appearances.
The case of Serenity McKinney caused outrage and grief among the public, who demanded justice for the innocent girl who was brutally killed by her own mother and her boyfriend. The case also raised awareness about the issue of child abuse and neglect, and the need for more protection and intervention for vulnerable children.
