I won't rest until I get justice for 'murder' of my daughter, 4 (2024)

A GRIEVING dad hit out at child services and said he was "sorry" he couldn't save his four-year-old daughter, who was found dead on Friday.

Dave Justice's daughter Serenity McKinneywas reported missing this January by her extended family.

They revealed they hadn't seen the child since Christmas 2020 after her mother cut ties with everyone.

Serenity's mother Catherine "Abby" McKinney and boyfriend Dakota Hill were arrested and charged with murder and abuse of a corpse on Saturday.

"I haven't spoken to Abby," Justice told The Sun Friday night, unaware police found his daughter's body in a wooded area of Bullitt County, Kentucky.

"For some reason, every time I call or try to set a video visit up, I get voice mailed every time," Justice said.

That's what she did to everyone while she lived with Hill, family members said in previous interviews.

The "abnormal behavior" led family to believe the young girl was in danger and reported her missing to police in Shelby County, which is about an hour away from where Serenity was found.

Justice wrote a Facebook post addressed his baby girl.

"I'm sorry I failed you as a dad," the doting father wrote. "I wasn't there to protect you, let alone rescue you.

"I don't know what they put you through, baby girl, but I want you to know daddy loves you! Always loved you! And will never stop! I will do all I can to be able to ensure I see that beautiful face again when it's my turn to come home.

"God has gained the most beautiful of them all."

A vigil is planned for Sunday, and a GoFundMe was set up to help the family with funeral costs.

'CPS DIDN'T DO THEIR JOBS'

Hill and McKinney are in jail in connection with Serenity's death, but CPS is just as responsible, Justice said.

In 2021, Serenity's grandparents and Justice said the Kentucky Child Protective Services were called twice to check on the young child.

Both times the cases were closed without a case worker physically seeing Serenity, they said.

"I just want people to realize this, andI'll keep reiterating this, CPS didn’t do their jobs," Justice said. "They never made physical contact with my daughter and still closed the case."

Kentucky CPS said in an email that they can't comment because of privacy laws and declined to comment about how their procedures work.

That secrecy is one of the fundamental flaws of the Child Protective Service in the US, said Richard Wexler, the executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform (NCCPR).

"The system has enormous power, the ability to making enormous decisions and operate with enormous secrecy," Wexler said.

He said he didn't know Serenity's case specifically, but not making contact with a child is a consequence of an overburdened CPS system.

There are "conservatively" about seven million calls of neglect or child abuse in a year, but only about 3,000 involve children who are in immediate danger, Wexler said.

"It's like finding a needle in the haystack," he said. "When you have overburdened case workers, they likely did a drive by case work and never laid eyes on the child.

"I’m not saying they were right, but they might have had something that looked more urgent at the time so they rushed through (Serenity's) job to get to the next one."

Justice wrote in a separate Facebook post, "I will not rest 'till every single individual, including a nationally run agency CPS, is held accountable for the horrors which occurred.

"Because of their mistakes, their little 'oh I can go ahead and close the case, everything seems fine' mindset ... my daughter was subjected to having to through an experience where she probably didn't why or what was going on.

"And it messes me up because I can see it now. Her just f****n crying, wondering why they did this to her."

CREEPY TEXT: 'I KNOW SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHERE YOUR DAUGHTER IS'

JUST days before police found Serenity's body, Justice received cryptic texts claiming his daughter was "in a suitcase."

"I know someone who knows where your daughter is," a woman texted Justice at 2:37am Wednesday.

"It was the worst thing anyone could possibly hear in my shoes," he said Friday, without knowing police found Serenity's body.

"She messaged me again 12 hours later still harassing me," he said. "I think it is an account being used kind of as like a patsy for the real person, but I cant say who it is for sure, but I believe she knows who has her."

Kentucky State Police, which took over the case, said they couldn't comment about specifics about where or how Serenity was found.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

FOOD FOR THOUGHT I named my baby daughter - then realised she'll be known as 'sausagegirl'

TUCK IN ‘Stockpile for me’ say Morrisons shoppers rushing to buy unusual flavour crisps

They said it's part of an ongoing investigation.

Bullitt County medical examiner's office is currently conducting the autopsy, which they said "could take some time."