Cross placed by family where 4-year-old Serenity McKinney's body was found

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A four-year-old girl who was found dead in a forest near southern Jefferson County was remembered on Saturday.

Serenity McKinney was reported missing to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office by her maternal grandfather in February 2022. Family members said they hadn't seen the child in more than a year.

On Saturday, family and friends placed a large cross where her body was found in McKinney's honor. It was the first time many family members had been to the scene.

"Her being memorialized right here by this cross, and like I said, her story has been affecting a lot of people in a good way," said David Roller, Serenity's father.

Last year, Kentucky State Police released a statement saying in part that "detectives located the body of the 4-year-old in a wooded area near the 1300 block of Skyview Rd in West Point near the Jefferson-Bullitt Co. line."

Serenity's family said the little girl grabbed the hearts of all who knew her.

"I want her to know she will never be forgotten no matter where they did what they did," said Melody Roller, Serenity's grandmother. "As far as closure, I don't think I will ever have closure."

Serenity's mother, Catherine McKinney, and her mother's boyfriend, Dakota Hill, were both charged with murder and abuse of a corpse. They remain in the Bullitt County Jail. A trial is scheduled to begin in June 2023.

In October 2022, a medical examiner's report listed Serenity's manner of death as a homicide, but the cause as "undetermined." The report said her body was in a suitcase with a sand-like substance. It also said she had a fracture to her right radius and right femur.