Maryland mother lies: 3-year-old not abducted at gunpoint, cops allege

Maryland officials activated an Amber Alert after 3-year-old Nola Dinkins disappeared while in her mother’s custody. However, investigators now say the mother made up the kidnapping story, falsely reporting that her daughter was taken at gunpoint—a claim that shocked the already anxious community.

A bald white man in his 40s

According to Maryland news outlet WPVI, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, around 7:15 p.m., Nola’s mother told local police she had pulled over on Newark’s 500 block of Gender Road to comfort her upset daughter. During that moment, she asserted, a bald white man in his 40s pointed a handgun at her and forcibly removed Nola from the vehicle. The kidnapper then allegedly fled in a dark-colored SUV driven by a white female accomplice.

Based on her statement, an Amber Alert was immediately issued. Authorities—including the FBI—scoured Delaware and Maryland overnight. Aerial searches over parks in Perryville, MD, while police canvassed neighborhoods, yielded no signs of Nola.

Police now allege the mother lied

By Wednesday morning, June 11, 2025, New Castle County detectives concluded that the mother’s account was false. They officially canceled the Amber Alert and announced that the child’s location remained unknown, but that they’d reclassified the disappearance as a homicide investigation.

A spokesperson for the Maryland State Police, Elena Russo, said the homicide unit is now working the case, stressing that “there has not been any confirmation of a homicide” since Nola remains missing. For now, detectives continue treating Nola as a missing child.

Maryland state police search parks, residential areas, and public spaces

The Maryland State Police, including its homicide division, has taken the lead alongside New Castle County Police. They are concentrating their search efforts in Cecil County, Maryland, where the girl was believed to reside, conducting ground searches near parks, residential areas, and public spaces.
. Russo confirmed that although the case is being treated as a homicide, search efforts for Nola remain ongoing.

At this time, no suspects have been named, and investigators have not confirmed whether Nola is deceased. The mother’s status is also unclear. Some reports indicate she was taken into custody and charged with felony false reporting, but details remain unverified. Officials have asked the public to come forward with any information, photos, videos, or eyewitness accounts, urging calls to the Maryland State Police’s North East Barrack at 410‑996‑7800