Murdered 10-Year-Old Iowa Girl’s Mother Says She Feels Like She ‘Just Won the Lottery’ After Convicted Sex Offender Found Guilty

An Iowa man was found guilty of both kidnapping and murdering a 10-year-old girl that triggered an AMBER Alert and a months-long search that ended with the discovery of her remains in a pond, according to authorities.

On May 5, 2021, law enforcement officials announced they charged Henry Dinkins, 48, with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with the death of Breasia Terrell.

In July 2020, prosecutors said, Terrell and her half brother were staying overnight at the Davenport home of the boy’s father, Dinkins, Des Moines’ KCCI reported.

The little girl was seen alive in the early morning hours of July 10, 2020, and police identified Dinkins as the sole person of interest in her disappearance.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by KCCI, Dinkins allegedly removed Terrell from his home “without consent or authority, or by deception, to secretly confine and inflict serious injury” on the little girl.

“As a result of the kidnapping, [Terrell] was murdered,” the complaint stated, noting, Dinkins “shot her with a firearm causing her death.”

In March 2021, fisherman discovered Terrell’s body 25 miles north of Davenport.

At the time the new charges were announced, Terrell was being held in a Clinton County jail on issues related to a prior sex crime conviction.

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On Sept. 15, Scott County Judge Henry Latham found Dinkins guilty of the murder of Terrell after a 14-day bench trial that included almost 50 witnesses and dozens of hours of testimony, KLJB-TV reported.

According to authorities, Terrell's 11-year-old brother testified during the trial and reportedly spoke about how he and Terrell slept at Dinkins' girlfriend's apartment the night before the girl disappeared. Latham said the testimony was "remarkable," KLJB-TV reported.

In 1990, Dinkins was 17 years old when he was found guilty of victimizing a girl. Days after Terrell vanished, police charged Dinkins with violating sex offender registry requirements for having contact with a minor and failing to update his address, according to the Associated Press.

Davenport Police Capt. Brent Biggs said the victim’s mother was “supportive and cooperative” during the investigation. “We cannot imagine the grief and pain she must experience,” he said.

Officials said Dinkins will be sentenced Oct. 11.

"I don’t know how to feel," Terrell’s mother told KLJB of the conviction. She added, "I feel like I just won the lottery."