Report rules 4-year-old Serenity McKinney's death was a homicide

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Eight months after the body of a 4-year-old was found in a wooded area near the Bullitt-Jefferson County line, a medical examiner's report details new information about her death.

Serenity McKinney was reported missing in February 2022 after her maternal grandparents said they had not seen her since Christmas Eve of 2020. A search for the little girl quickly began.

By the end of that month, 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 mother, Catherine McKinney, and her mother's boyfriend, Dakota Hill, were both charged with murder and abuse of a corpse. They are now in the Bullitt County jail.

On Wednesday, Bullitt County Coroner David Billings released a copy of the medical examiner's report. The report listed the manner of death as a homicide, but said the cause of death is "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.

For months after Serenity's body was found, officials and family members waited on DNA results to positively confirm the identity. According to Billings, the first DNA sample did not provide enough viable DNA to complete testing. So another sample was needed.

Family members told WDRB News on Wednesday that they miss Serenity and want justice. McKinney and Hill are expected back in court in January.

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