The remains of a 3-year-old child found in a Birmingham, Alabama, dumpster are believed to be those of Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney, who had been missing for a little more than a week, police said.
Police Chief Patrick Smith said in a news conference Tuesday that authorities will now work to secure warrants for capital murder and kidnapping on two people who were previously named persons of interest in the case of the missing toddler.
CNN reported Patrick Stallworth, 39, and Derick Brown, 29, were taken into custody and questioned by police last week after video evidence was found, and witnesses connected them to a vehicle that was seen on the night Kamille went missing, which dates back to October 12.
According to Smith, the dumpster, where the child’s body was placed, wasn’t far from the apartment complex she was last seen in.
Police assume the kidnapping was something Stallworth and Brown thought and acted out, finding an opportunity to take the young child, Smith said Tuesday.
At the time of her disappearance, the toddler was at a birthday party in the apartment complex her family lived in. A multi-state Amber Alert, issued after her disappearance, claimed she may have been abducted by a man and a woman in a dark-colored SUV.
Initially, police were unable to get any information on the child’s location when they first interviewed Stallworth and Brown; but secured warrants on the two due to unrelated charges.
Stallworth, who is now in police custody, was previously charged with four counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography with intent to distribute. Brown also remains in custody for an unrelated kidnapping.
Smith also stated Tuesday there is no connection between the two and Kamille’s family.
“This young child has touched a nation,” the chief said. “This young child has definitely sent a message across that nation that we all must be diligent to protect them all.”
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