Serenity McKinney’s body was found as mother Catherine McKinney and boyfriend Dakota Hill were charged

The body of Serenity McKinney, a 4-year-old girl who had been missing for more than a year, was found Friday along a winding wooded road in West Point, Kentucky.

According to Shelby County jail records, her mother, Catherine McKinney, and her mother’s boyfriend, Dakota Hill, who have been charged with custodial interference, have been charged with murder and abusing a corpse.

Authorities have not said how Serenity died, but the grim discovery solves at least part of the mystery that began on Christmas Eve 2020, the last time she was seen.

Serenity’s grandparents say Catherine McKinney cut them in the fall and that they reported the child missing last month.

Grandmother Aundrea Wainscott told WHAS a week and a half ago: “This is not her character. “She contacted us back through messenger, pretty much saying they were fine, but still wouldn’t let us talk to Serenity or show us Serenity.”

Police say that when they contacted Catherine McKinney, she refused to cooperate – and then she and Hill allegedly skipped town. The pair were later arrested in Kansas and extradited to Kentucky.