On Friday, new details surfaced in the case of 3-year-old Nola Dinkins, the young girl who was reported missing Tuesday night in New Castle County, Delaware.   

Court documents show there was a years-long custody battle between the child's father and her mother, who was charged with murder on Thursday.

The most recent document was filed just three months ago, signed by both parents, agreeing that three-year-old Nola Dinkins would spend four weeks this summer with her father after he petitioned to keep Nola in their home state of Indiana. 

Then, in June of 2023, Nola's mother, Darrian Randle, filed a notice of relocation to take her daughter out of Indiana.   

That request was later withdrawn after pushback from Dinkins' father, and the two landed on an agreement to share custody of the young girl, but the document names Randle as the designated custodial parent.   

Nola Dinkins' final moments

On Tuesday night, Randle reported Dinkins was abducted by an unknown man at gunpoint in Delaware, but she later admitted that report was fake.   

Charging documents reveal Randle was living with her boyfriend, 44-year-old Cedrick Britten of Cecil County.   

According to the documents, Randle admitted to beating the little girl with a belt until she died, and Britten helped her dispose of the body. 

It is not clear at this point how long Randle and Dinkins had been living in Maryland or if Dinkins' father knew the two had left the state. 

However, neighbors say they never saw a woman or child at the home. 

"I saw him a couple times in the backyard to wave, that kind of thing. But that was it, the only contact I really had," said.. 

Randle has been charged with murder, assault, and child abuse. He is awaiting extradition to Maryland.