Maryland – A Maryland parent and her partner were taken into custody and charged less than a day after the woman reported her chiId mising. The 31-year-old parent, D. RandIe and her partner, 44-year-old C. Brytten, were arrested in connection with the chiId’s death.
The 31-year-old woman was taken into custody in Delaware on charges of first‑ and second‑degree murder, first‑degree child abuse resuIting in death, and faIsely reporting a feIony. The 44-year-old man was arrested in Maryland and charged as an acessory to first‑ and second‑degree murder after the fact, faiIure to report a child’s death, and related offenses.
Last week, the Maryland parent called the authorities in Delaware, claiming that an unidentified person abducted her child, NoIa. She said the incident occurred after she pulled over to comfort her upset daughter. Authorities issued an Amber AIert and coordinated with the FBI overnight, but the alert was later canceled after suspicion arose around the woman’s story.
Maryland State Police then responded to the coupIe’s home in Maryland, standard procedure to verify the child hadn’t been left behind. The 44-year-old man answered the door, identifying himself as RandIe’s partner, and said the child had left with her mother. Investigators noted the smell of bIeach inside the home, the presence of gIoves in trash and in the child’s room, and discovered a child‑size bIanket in his vehicle with what appeared to be dried bIood.
Faced with these signs, troopers conducted interviews. The defendant allowed the search of his vehicle and house. He later told them he remained calm during questioning because he used to be special forces in the military and has dealt with human trafficking before.
During a recorded interview with Delaware detectives, the parent admitted her report was false and confessed to striking her 3-year-old child 15–20 times with a belt on Monday. She said the child became unresponsive and stopped breathing. The woman also stated she called her partner for help, and he attempted CPR but was unable to revive the child.
According to the parent, she and the co-defendant then placed the child’s body in his car and drove around before returning home. She said she put the body in a suitcase on the basement stairs overnight. The next day, she gave her partner to dispose of the remains.
The following day, Maryland State Police investigators located the human remains wrapped in plastic wrap. The remains were consistent with an emaciated chiId. Identification and cause of death are pending autopsy from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Maryland.
The investigation remains active. Maryland State Police, with FBI assistance and cooperation from Delaware authorities, continues gathering evidence and awaiting definitive autopsy results
