Remains returned to family of missing 4-year-old discovered in Bullitt County wooded area

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Month's after a missing little girl's body was found, it has finally been returned to the family.

It has been what Serenity McKinney's grandmothers describe as a rollercoaster of emotions. Remembering her on what would have been her fifth birthday the same week her remains have returned.

Pinwheels mark an infinite reminder for the family and friends to remember Serenity McKinney.

"When the wind blows it goes in a circle. So every time it blows it's just a reminder her memory will keep going and she will live on through all of us," said Serenity's paternal grandmother, Melody Roller.

Friends and family gathered at Clear Creek Park in Shelbyville, blowing bubbles, eating cupcakes, and setting up pinwheels just days after her remains were returned to the family.

"We're just very thankful to have Serenity home. It's been a long process, long wait," said Aundria Wainscott, Serenity's grandmother.

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."

The family then spent months waiting for DNA results to positively identify the young girl. According to the Bullitt County coroner, the first DNA sample did not provide enough viable DNA to complete testing, so another sample was taken.

On Friday afternoon, Billings confirmed that results are now in, and the body is confirmed to be that of Serenity. 

"That was five months, two weeks and five days it took. That was a real hard struggle," said Roller.

Serenity's mother, Catherine McKinney, and her mother's boyfriend, Dakota Hill, were both charged with murder and abuse of a corpse. They are both currently in the Bullitt County Jail with their next court date scheduled in October.

"You wanted them to take the time that they needed to make sure they had everything they needed to keep this monster behind bars, but at the same time we want some closure," said Wainscott. "Justice will be served I have no doubt in my mind." 

While loved ones wait, they hold onto each other, and memories with Serenity ahead of a funeral that can finally take place.

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