The mystery surrounding a 2-year-old Wisconsin girl at the center of a nationwide search since Monday, came to a head late Friday evening when her remains were found on the side of a Minnesota highway.
Sadly, Noelani Robinson was found dead around 7 p.m. Friday, after a man driving home saw something “out of the norm” on the side of the road and alerted police, WITI-TV reported.
“He called this tip into the local police department … and just off the shoulder was a blanket and wrapped in there was the body of a child. We believe it is that of Noelani,”said Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales in a Saturday news conference.
Robinson’s body appeared to have been there for “quite some time” Morales said. Police will know more, including her cause of death, once an autopsy is performed.
On Wednesday, Milwaukee police arrested a person of interest in the child’s death, her father, 34-year-old Dariaz Higgins. Early in the week, Higgins allegedly shot the little girl’s mother, Sierra Robinson, 24, and another woman outside a Milwaukee apartment building. Robinson was declared dead at the scene, while the other victim was treated at a local hospital, WTMJ reported.
Robinson was not found with her father when Higgins was apprehended by law officials, and an Amber Alert issued earlier in the week remained in effect.
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“The suspect is a cold-blooded killer,” Morales told WISN.
Several social media users reacted with heartbreak over the tragic news of the child.
“My heart breaks for this beautiful little girl. She didn’t deserve this, neither did her mother. My only hope is Dariaz Higgins is found guilty of murder & he gets what he deserves in jail by his follow inmates POS!,” wrote one Twitter user.
My heart breaks for this beautiful little girl. She didn’t deserve this, neither did her mother. My only hope is Dariaz Higgins is found guilty of murder & he gets what he deserves in jail by his follow inmates POS! #RIP #NoelaniRobinson
— Mari johnson (@excugoaway) March 16, 2019
With the discovery of the 2-year-old’s body, her father, Higgins, had his bond set for $1 million on Sunday, WITI reported. The news outlet further reported that the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Noelani died due to blunt force trauma to the head.