Child missing since Christmas Eve 2020 found dead in woods. Police accuse mom and man of murder.

The mother of a missing 4-year-old girl in Kentucky has been accused of murder, according to media reports.

Serenity Ann McKinney hadn’t been seen since Christmas Eve 2020, police said and reported by WDRB. Around 2 p.m. on Feb. 18, McKinney’s body was found in the woods near the Jefferson County-Bullitt County line in Kentucky, according to Kentucky State Police and reported by WDRB.

Now, Dakota Hill, 26, and Catherine McKinney, 21, were both charged with murder and abuse of a corpse, according to WLKY. Catherine McKinney is the victim’s mom and Hill is her boyfriend.

Police in Shelby County, Kentucky, previously told WDRB that Catherine wasn’t cooperating with the investigation.

Investigators have not said how the child died or released a possible motive for the alleged murder.

The adults were arrested earlier in the month in Kansas, but they were not charged with murder until last week.