Mom of Serenity McKinney and Mom's Boyfriend Charged With Murder After Body of Missing 4-Year-Old Is Found

The body of a 4-year-old girl reported missing more than a year ago in Kentucky has been found, officials said. 

Serenity McKinney's remains were found on Friday, according to the Kentucky Sate Police.

Serenity’s biological mother, Abby McKinney, 21, her boyfriend, Dakota Hill, 26, now face charges including murder and abuse of a corpse in connection to Serenity's death, according to Shelby County Sheriff Timothy Moore. They are expected to be arraigned on March 2, authorities said.

McKinney, who police have said allegedly has refused to cooperate with law enforcement, and Hill were already in police custody after being charged with custodial interference in Kansas last week. They were then were extradited back to Kentucky, WHAS11 reported.

Tosha Crouch, a mother who lives in Shelbyville, said the news is devastating.

"It's sad,” Crouch told WHAS11. “It's gut-wrenchingly sad. The loss of life for this 4-year-old innocent baby is uncalled for. It shoulda never happened."

Serenity was last seen by her extended family on Christmas Eve 2020 and were reported missing by her grandparents in January 2021. What exactly happened to Serenity is still under investigation.

An autopsy took place on Saturday at the Bullitt County Coroner’s Office, but the results have not been released.

Loved ones have created a GoFundMe page to pay for Serenity's funeral expenses. To date, they have raised $3,000.

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