Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney found dead inside dumpster in Birmingham Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Hide Transcript Show Transcript

BREAKING NEWS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. >> THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT ALONG WITH THE FBI HAVE LOCATED THE REMAINS OF A THREE-YEAR-OLD CHILD WE BELIEVE TO BE KAMILLE CUPCAKE MCKINNEY. >> THIS IS TOUGH. THIS IS A TOUGH MOMENT FOR OUR CITY. TOUGH MOMENT FOR THIS FAMILY. BRITTANY: A TRAGIC UPDATE TO TELL YOU ABOUT TONIGHT. THE BODY BELIEVED TO BE LITTLE CUPCAKE MCKINNEY TONIGHT. GUY: CREWS HAVE SEARCHED FOR MORE THAN A FOR LITTLE CUPCAKE. TONIGHT WAS HARD NEWS TO HEAR ACROSS THE NATION. SHERI: WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT. JEFF ELIASOPH, BREA DOUGLAS, AND MARY O’CONNELL. LET’S START WITH JEFF TONIGHT, WHO WAS AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE EARLIER THIS EVENING. JEFF: LOTS OF FOLKS TONIGHT. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT OUR GREATEST HOPES AND WORST FEARS ARE NEVER REALIZED, BUT TONIGHT BIRMINGHAM’S WORST FEARS HAVE BEEN REALIZED. KAMILLE CUPCAKE MCKINNEY, KIDNAPPED 10 NIGHTS AGO, IS GONE. RELENTLESS SEARCHES AND THE PRAYERS OF MILLIONS ENDED IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY THIS EVENING. >> WE FOUND, THIS EVENING, REMAINS OF A CHILD WE BELIEVE TO BE KAMILLE. HER REMAINS WERE FOUND INSIDE OF A DUMPSTER AND THEY WERE RECOVERED INSIDE A LANDFILL IN BIRMINGHAM. JEFF: KAMILLE WAS ABDUCTED FROM THE TOM BROWN HOUSING COMMUNITY DURING A BIRTHDAY PARTY SATURDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 12. A FEW HOURS LATER, AN AMBER ALERT WAS ISSUED, WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY EXPANDED TO EVERY STATE IN THE REGIO KAMILLE WAS LAST SEEN WEARING A PINK SHIRT, LEOPARD PRINT PANTS, AND NO SHOES. SHE WAS NEVER SEEN ALIVE BY HER FAMILY AGAIN. WITHIN HOURS OF HER KIDNAPPING, A SUSPECT VEHICLE AND TWO PEOPLE OF INTEREST WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. THOSE PEOPLE ARE BOTH IN CUSTODY ONCE AGAIN. >> TOMORROW, WE WILL BE SCREENING WARRANTS FOR KIDNAPPING AND CAPITAL MURDER AGAINST PATRICK STALLWORTH AND DEREK BROWN. JEFF: MISS BROWN HAS BEEN IN CUSTODY ON A PROBATION VIOLATION SINCE THE INVESTIGATION BEGAN. STALLWORTH WAS RE-ARRESTED TONIGHT. HE HAD A PREVIOUS CHIL PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE. IT HAS BEEN AN AWFUL 10 DAYS FOR KAMILLE’S FAMILY, THE BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY, AND THE PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO FIND A LITTLE GIRL WHO WOULD NEVER COME HOME. >> OUR INVESTIGATORS ALONG WITH THE FBI HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY 24 HOURS A DAY TO LOCATE THIS YOUNG CHILD AND TO BRING HER BACK HOME AND TO HOLD THOSE ACCOUNTABLE INVOLVED IN HER DISAPPEARANCE, HER KIDNAPPED, AND ULTIMATELY HER DEMISE. JEFF: THE AMBER ALERT, THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REWARD MONEY, AND THE ENDLESS SEARCHING, TO NO AVAIL. THREE-YEAR-OLD KAMILLE MCKINNEY IS GONE. WE ARE LIVE AT BIRMINGHAM POLICE HEADQUARTERS, JEFF ELIASOPH, WVTM13. GUY: THIS CASE HAS REALLY STIRRED EMOTIONS AROUND THE CITY, AND EVEN THE SURROUNDING AREAS. SHERI: WVTM 13’S MARY O’CONNELL CONTINUES OUR TEAM COVERAGE FROM BIRMINGHAM POLICE HEADQUARTERS. MARY, A LOT OF EMOTION THERE TONIGHT. MARY: YOU COULD FEEL THE HEAVY AND BROKEN HEARTS AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS TONIGHT. POLICE CHIEF PATRICK SMITH SAYING KAMILLE MCKINNEY NOT ONLY GROUND THE HEARTS OF THIS -- GRABBED THE HEARTS OF THIS COMMUNITY, BUT THE NATION. THE MAYOR AND CHIEF TOOK THEIR TIME TO RELAY THE MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY. HERE IS PART OF WHAT CHIEF PATRICK SMITH SAYS TO THE CITY THIS EVENING. >> I HOPE THIS MESSAGE IS NOT LOST TO YOUNG MOTHERS, TO GRANDMOTHERS, AND TO THE ENTIRE BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY. IT ONLY TAKES A SPLIT SECOND. WE CAN NO LONGER ASSUME THAT EVERYONE IS A PART OF THE VILLAGE THAT’S TRYING TO RAISE THE CHIL MARY: THE CHIEF ENDED THAT MESSAGE, SAYING WE NEED TO WORK HARD TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN OF THIS COMMUNITY. WHEN MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN STEPPED UP, HE SPOKE DIRECTLY KAMILLE’S FAMILY, REMINDING THEM THEY ARE NOT MORNING THIS PRECIOUS CHILD ALONE. >> A THREE-YEAR-OLD HAS BEEN SNUFFED OUT FROM HER FAMILY, AND AS I THINK ABOUT MY OWN NIECES, AS MANY OF YOU ARE THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN DAUGHTERS, YOUR OWN GRANDDAUGHTERS, A YEAR FROM NOW, SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE PREPPING FOR PRE-K. THIS IS TOUGH. THIS IS A TOUGH MOMENT FOR OUR CITY. MARY: THE MAYOR ALSO TOLD EVERYONE TO HUG THEIR FAMILIES A LITTLE BIT TIGHTER THIS EVENING. HE WANTED TO REMIND PEOPLE NOT TO POINT FINGERS TONIGHT, BUT INSTEAD STAND IN SOLIDARITY AND LIFT THIS FAMILY UP IN PRAYER. IN BIRMINGHAM, MARY O’CONNELL, WVTM13. GUY: LET’S SEND IT OVER TO BREA DOUGLAS. SHE’S LIVE AT TOM BROWN VILLAGE. BREA: IT IS ABSOLUTELY QUIET HERE AT TOM BROWN VILLAGE. THERE ARE NO PEOPLE OUTSIDE WALKING AROUND. NO ONE HERE SHOWING ANY VISIBLE DISPLAY OF EMOTION OTHER THAN A COUPLE EARLIER TODAY. A MAN AND WOMAN HAD A VERY LOUD OUTBURST, SAYING "SAY IT’S NOT SO, THEY THREW THE BABY IN THE DUMPSTER." THEY WERE CLEARLY SHAKEN UP. THE ONES I DID SPEAK TO SAID OFF-CAMERA THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO CUPCAKE WAS VERY SAD, JUST A YOUNG INNOCENT CHILD. THE COMMUNITY WAS IN DISBELIEF AND SHOCK THAT SOMETHING THIS TRAGIC STARTED AT TOM BROWN VILLAGE. EARLIER THIS EVENING, WE SAW A MAN -- YOU MAY REMEMBER HE WAS PART OF A DOCUMENTARY NETFLIX SERIES, PART OF THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, NOW KNOWN AS THE EXONERATED FIVE. HE OFFERED HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY. >> SORRY TO HEAR. SORRY TO HEAR. IT WASN’T YOUR TIME TO GO, BABY GIRL. BUT MAY YOU REST IN EVERLASTING PEACE, ALONG WITH YOUR HOUSEHOLD THAT’S MISSING YOU RIGHT NOW. BREA: CORY WAS HERE FOR SOMETHING TOTALLY SEPARATE IN THE EVENT IN BIRMINGHAM. HE HAD A PRIOR ENGAGEMENT. WE ARE HERE AT THE TOM BROWN VILLAGE. NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE. IT IS A SOMBER MOOD FROM THE PEOPLE I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO. FOR NOW, LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM, BREA DOUGLAS, WVTM 13. GUY: LOTS OF SUPPORT TONIGHT FOR THE FAMILY OF KAMILLE. THIS DISCOVERY BREAKING HEARTS ACROSS THE CITY, STATE, AND NATION. SHERI: LAWMAKERS EVEN SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TONIGHT. HERE’S A STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR KAY IVEY. SHE SAYS GIVEN THE TRAGIC NEWS THAT IS BREAKING THIS EVENING, I OFFER MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO KAMILLE’S FAMILY AND PROFOUND THANKS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AN ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY IN SEARCH OF THIS PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL. THE HEART OF OUR STATE IS BROKEN, BUT OUR RESOLVE MUST BE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID THIS TRAGEDY FROM HAPPENING TO ANOTHER FAMILY. OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH KAMILLE’S FAMILY AND ALL WHO HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THIS NIGHTMARE. GUY: ALSO ISSUING A STATEMENT, STATE REPRESENTATIVE TERRI SEWELL. "CUPCAKE WAS AN INNOCENT BABY. MY PRAYERS ARE WITH HER FAMILY AND THE ENTIRE BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY DURING THI UNTHINKABLE TIME. WE MUST CONTINUE TO FIND STRENGTH AND UNITY, EVEN IN THE FACE OF HEART BREAKING TRAGEDY. HOLD THE ONES YOU LOVE CLOSE." THERE’S BEEN AN OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT IN THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF, AS THE COMMUNITY RALLIED TO FIND MCKINNEY. SHERI: ONE OF THE MOST RECENT DISPLAYS WAS OVER THE WEEKEND. MEMBERS OF THE LITTLE GIRL’S FAMILY, AS WELL AS LOVED ONES, EVEN STRANGERS GATHERED AT ST. JAMES AME CHURCH TO PRAY FOR KAMILLE. GUY: IN HOOVER, A NEIGHBORHOOD TIED PURPLE RIBBONS IN FRONT YARDS. THE COLOR WAS THE LITTLE GIRL’S FAVORITE. THE WOMAN WHO ORGANIZED THE SHOW OF SUPPORT SAYS IT WAS A WAY TO SHOW MCKINNEY’S FAMILY PEOPLE WERE THINKING ABOUT THEM DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME. SHERI: JUST A FEW DAYS LATER, VOLUNTEERS CAME TOGETHER FOR AN EVENT THEY CALLED CUPCAKES FOR CUPAKE. IT WAS MEANT AS A FUNDRAISER TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CRIME STOPPERS REWARD. PEOPLE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND , BUYING ALL 600 CUPCAKES IN A MATTER OF HOURS. ORGANIZERS SAY THEY EXCEEDED THEIR GOAL OF RAISING $2000. GUY: WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE TIMELINE OF THIS CASE. SHERI: IT ALL STARTED AT 8:30 ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12. KAMILLE WAS ABDUCTED FROM A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT TOM BROWN VILLAGE. THEN JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT, AUTHORITIES ISSUED AN AMBER ALERT FOR THE THREE-YEAR-OLD. LATER SUNDAY MORNING, THEY HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE. AT NEARLY 1:30 THAT AFTERNOON, BIRMINGHAM POLICE RELEASED THE FIRST PHOTOS OF AN SUV BELIEVED TO BE INVOLVED IN KAMILLE’S ABDUCTION. AND ABOUT FIVE HOURS LATER, THEY RELEASED THE PICTURE OF A PERSON OF INTEREST. GUY: LATE THAT EVENING, POLICE ANNOUNCED THEY’D FOUND THE SUV AT A CONDO IN CENTERPOINT, AND TOOK ONE PERSON OF INTEREST INTO CUSTODY FOR QUESTIONING. MONDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 10:30 IN THE MORNING, THE POLICE CHIEF HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE, ANNOUNCING TWO PEOPLE OF INTEREST WERE IN CUSTODY, AND THEY HAD EXPANDED THE AMBER ALERT TO SURROUNDING STATES. SHERI: TUESDAY AT 11:30, GOVERNOR IVEY ISSUED PROCLAMATION FOR A $5,000 REWARD. THEN AT 6:00, POLICE ANNOUNCED THE TWO PERSONS OF INTEREST WERE BEING HELD ON CHARGES UNRELATED TO THE MISSING CHILD. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, AROUND 10:00 THAT MORNING, A LARGE NUMBER OF POLICE SWARMED AN APARTMENT COMPLEX ON JEFFERSON AVENUE IN RESPONSE TO A TIP, BUT THEY DID NOT FIND KAMILLE. A FEW HOURS LATER AT 4:00, THE POLICE CHIEF MADE A PLEA TO SURRENDER THE CHILD AT ANY SAFE PLACE, A FIRE STATION OR HOSPITAL. CRIME STOPPERS ANNOUNCED ANOTHER REWARD, $20,000. GUY: THEN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, POLICE RELEASED SURVEILLANCE VIDEO FROM THE BIRTHDAY PARTY AT TOM BROWN VILLAGE, SHOWING TWO MEN NEAR TWO CHILDREN, ONE OF THEM IDENTIFIED AS CUPCAKE AND SADLY TONIGHT, POLICE ANNOUNCED REMAINS BELIEVED TO BE MCKINNEY WERE FOUND IN A DUMPSTER. AGAIN, TWO SUSPECTS ARE NOW IN CUSTODY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS STORY. FOR UPDATES ANYTIME, DOWNLOA THE WVTM 13 APP AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS TO KNOW THE MINUTE ANYTHING CHANGES. SHERI: THIS HAS BEEN HARD FOR ALL OF US IN THE STATION. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW THIS HAS GRIPPED THE STATE AS A WHOLE, EVEN OUTSIDE ALABAMA. GUY: I HAVE TO SAY, I AM ANGRY, I’M FRUSTRATED, AND I AM PROFOUNDLY SAD FOR THE LOSS OF THIS LITTLE GIRL AND THE PAIN HER FAMILY IS GOING THROUGH.

SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Get local stories sent straight to your inbox as news breaks. Submit Privacy Notice