Man and childminder detained after the corpse of a missing 4-year-old daughter was discovered close to a graveyard

The tragic case of 4-year-old Chloe Darnell, a missing girl from Kentucky, has taken a grim turn with the recovery of a body believed to be hers, as announced by the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department last Friday. The primary caregivers of Chloe, Brittany Slaughter, 24, and Adam Hayes, 34, are now in custody facing severe charges, including murder and abuse of a corpse. The formal identification of the body is still pending.

Chloe’s story began to unfold when a relative, through a GoFundMe page, shared that she had been living under the care of her aunt, Brittany Slaughter, who resided with her boyfriend, Adam Hayes. This arrangement raised concerns among Chloe’s extended family.

Adding to the distress, Chloe’s sister revealed in a Facebook post how their initial access to Chloe gradually ceased. She recounted how their pleas to see Chloe via FaceTime or phone were consistently met with excuses from Slaughter, raising alarming suspicions about Chloe’s wellbeing.

The situation escalated when it became known that Chloe had not been seen since late September. This prolonged absence triggered a response from the sheriff’s department, which issued a public appeal for assistance in locating both Chloe and Slaughter. The department confirmed that Chloe had been under the care of Slaughter and indicated that Slaughter might have been using an unregistered, unlicensed red car during the period of Chloe’s disappearance.

As the investigation intensified, the mystery surrounding Chloe’s condition and whereabouts deepened. The breakthrough came on Thursday when police located and seized the vehicle in question, leading to Slaughter’s apprehension later that night.

The somber discovery of a body, believed to be Chloe’s, was made shortly afterward. The body was sent for an autopsy, though authorities have not disclosed the exact location of its recovery. However, information from the GoFundMe campaign, set up to cover Chloe’s funeral and burial expenses, suggested that the remains were found near Slaughter and Hayes’ residence, following a thorough search of the house and the surrounding wooded areas.

The arrest of Slaughter and Hayes on charges as grave as murder and abuse of a corpse has cast a dark shadow over this case, reflecting the tragic fate that might have befallen young Chloe. As the community reels from this heartbreaking development, the focus now shifts to the ongoing investigation and the impending legal proceedings, which will seek to uncover the full extent of the circumstances leading to the untimely death of Chloe Darnell.