WHITLEY COUNTY, KY – Authorities in Kentucky have taken into custody the cousin and her boyfriend of a 4-year-old girl who had been reported missing. The arrests followed the discovery of a body believed to be the missing child.
Chloe Darnell, the young girl, had last been seen in September, but her disappearance was only reported recently, according to information from the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department. Brittany Slaughter, 24, who had custody of Chloe, and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Adam Hayes, are now facing charges.
The charges against Slaughter and Hayes include murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence, based on records from the Whitley County Detention Center. The condition of the body, believed to be Chloe, remains undisclosed. The remains have been sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Frankfort for autopsy and identification.
Initially, both Slaughter and Chloe were considered missing persons when the sheriff’s department began their investigation. The department had posted images of a 2009 red Mitsubishi Lancer, which Slaughter was believed to have been driving before her disappearance. The vehicle was located on Thursday, and Slaughter was reported to be unharmed.
Hayes was arrested earlier on Thursday evening, facing additional charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana, and trafficking heroin. Slaughter was arrested early Friday morning. The police have indicated that additional charges against both suspects are pending.
Both Slaughter and Hayes are scheduled for arraignment on Monday. Slaughter’s bond is set at $1.5 million, while Hayes is required to post an additional $105,000 for his other offenses for pretrial release.