Officials waiting on DNA results as family plans funeral for 4-year-old Serenity McKinney

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A family continues waiting for many answers after first opening a missing persons case earlier this year.

Four-year-old Serenity McKinney was reported missing in Shelby County in February 2022. Her grandparents said they hadn't seen her since Christmas Eve of 2020.

By the end of that month, Kentucky State Police released a statement saying, in part, that "detectives located the body of the four-year-old in a wooded area near the 1300 block of Skyview Rd in West Point near the Jefferson-Bullitt Co. line."

Serenity McKinney's mother, Catherine McKinney, and her mother's boyfriend, Dakota Hill, were both charged with murder and abuse of a corpse. They are scheduled to appear in court in Bullitt County in early June.

"I'm broken. I don't know any other word to say other than that," said Serenity's paternal grandmother, Melody Roller. "It's not been easy at all."

Roller said family members have planned a funeral service for Serenity, but a date won't be set until remains are back from the medical examiner.

Bullitt County Coroner David Billings said the hold up is DNA, making sure to positively identify the remains.

"We have to positively identify the remains that were found here in Bullitt County and we do that by DNA testing that's done by the state crime lab," Billings said.

According to Billings, the first DNA sample did not provide enough viable DNA to complete testing, so another sample was taken about three weeks ago and results are not back yet.

"I'm sure this is a very horrible time for the family and they would like to put some closure to this but they also understand the importance of me making a positive identification," he said.

Roller said she's been calling the coroner's office every other week and appreciates the compassion she's received.

"They have been impacted as well. Every time that I talk to them they are very nice. They're wanting her to be released just as much as we are," said Roller.

Billings said a cause of death will not be released until a positive identification has been confirmed.

Roller said she could go ahead and have a funeral, but wants to wait.

"We're going to have a funeral service for her. We've already made arrangements for that. We've got everything ready, we just need her," she said. "I need her. I need her home."

Billings said in some adult cases like this, dental records could be used for positive identification, but with a child so young, he said waiting on DNA is a must.

Catherine McKinney and Dakota Hill are scheduled to be in court June 6 for pre-trial conferences. According to current data, they are both being held at the Bullitt County Jail.

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