Full Name: Breasia Da’Mareya Terrell

Alternative Name: Brea

Case Status: Solved ✅

Record ID#: 0153

*The names “Jane Doe”  and “John Doe” are English names used when the person’s true name is not known. If used above, the name refers to a person of unknown identity.

Date of Birth*: December 4, 2009
Birthplace: Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, USA
Age at the Time: 10
Age Group: Pre-Teenager
Biological Sex: Female
Hair: Black Curly Hair
Eyes: Brown
Skin Complexion: Unknown
Shoe Size: Unknown
Ethnicity: African or Black
Nationality: United States
Languages Spoken: Unknown

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Physical Build:

Height:

Weight

Distinguishing Marks:

• She may have been wearing her eyeglasses

Medical Condition: Unknown
Physical Abnormality: Unknown
Dental Condition: Unknown
Scars & Other Marks: Unknown
Piercings: Unknown
Tattoos: Unknown

Other Descriptors: Unknown

Clothing

• Large White T-Shirt she was wearing as a nightgown

Possessions:

• Unknown

Date of the Disappearance*: July 10, 2020

Description: On the evening of July 9, 2020, 10-year-old Breasia Terrell was spending the night at the Davenport, Iowa home of her half-brother, D.L., and his father, Henry Earl Dinkins. The visit was intended as a fun summer sleepover—Breasia had brought pajamas and was playing video games with D.L. while Dinkins and his girlfriend, Andrea Culberson, were relaxing in the living room.

At approximately 9:00 p.m., Breasia texted her mother, Aishia Lankford, a sweet “Good night” message using Dinkins’ phone. Aishia replied, “Goodnight. I love you Brea. Thank you.” It would be the last message she ever received from her daughter.

According to Andrea, Breasia and D.L. were in the bedroom playing video games while she and Henry both slept in the living room. Henry had loaned both children two of his 4-XL shirts to wear as pajamas. D.L. later remarked that this was unusual, as their mother had already left them proper sleepwear. Andrea stated that when she went to sleep shortly before midnight, Henry was still awake on the couch. However, he appears to have left the home a couple of hours later, taking Breasia with him.

---

Between 1:40 and 1:55 a.m. on July 10, Dinkins left the apartment — apparently with Breasia. Surveillance footage and GPS records later captured a vehicle matching the description of Dinkins’ maroon 2007 Chevy Impala traveling along West River Road and Schmidt Road.

Between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., the Impala was recorded five separate times in that area. At 2:13 a.m., the vehicle was first picked up about 20 minutes from Dinkins’ apartment before pulling into the parking lot at 743 Schmidt Road, where Dinkins kept a 1980s King’s Highway RV. It remained there for approximately 35 minutes. At 2:50 a.m., the Impala exited the lot and headed back along West River Drive.

Then, instead of returning directly to the apartment, the vehicle turned in the opposite direction and crossed over onto Credit Island. The road on the island forms a loop with no alternate exit, so the car had to leave the same way it entered. At 2:53 a.m., just a few minutes later, the vehicle was recorded driving off the island again. The purpose of this detour remains unknown.

• 1:40am – 1:55am — Dinkins apparently leaves the home, taking Breasia.
• 2:14am — Dinkins pulls into the parking lot where he has an RV
• 2:50am — Dinkins leaves, heading to Credit Island.
• 2:53am — Dinkins leaves Credit Island

---

At around 3:00 a.m., Andrea awoke to find both Henry and Breasia gone from the apartment. She attempted to call Henry, only to find his phone was still at home, making contact impossible. Roughly 30 minutes later, at 3:30 a.m., Henry returned to the apartment. Andrea saw Breasia standing beside the Impala outside, still dressed in the oversized T-shirt Henry had given her earlier that night. Henry retrieved his phone and an item from the bedroom closet, then left again without explanation.

• 3:00am — Andrea awakes to find Henry and Breasia gone
• 3:30am — Henry returns to the apartment with Breasia and leaves again

---

Shortly thereafter, at 3:33 a.m., Dinkins was seen on surveillance video at the Kwik Shop at 201 W 53rd St, about 10 minutes from the apartment. He purchased $35 worth of gas, a lighter, and two packs of cigarettes before leaving and heading back east towards the apartment. His movements over the next two hours remain unclear.

At 5:35 a.m., cell phone data shows Dinkins driving away from the apartment complex (it is unclear whether he had been home at this point or just in the area). He received a call from Andrea where they speak for forty seconds, the topic of which is unknown.

Surveillance footage and digital tracking show that Dinkins appeared to loop through Eastern Avenue and down Jersey Ridge Road. By 6:00 a.m., he had returned to the apartment and picked up D.L. Andrea had already left the apartment and was not able to confirm whether Breasia was present at that time.

• 3:33am — Henry fills up on gas at the Kwik Shop and turns back towards the apartment complex
• Time Between — Henry’s actions are unknown
• 5:35am — Henry is leaving the area of the apartment complex when he gets a call from Andrea
• 6:00am — Henry has returned home; picks up D.L.

---

With D.L. now in the vehicle, Dinkins drove north on U.S. Highway 61 and then east on U.S. Highway 30 toward Clinton, Iowa. At 6:49 a.m., he entered a local Walmart and purchased two 81-ounce bottles of Clorox bleach which he then threw in the trunk. The child seen with him was identified as D.L.; there was no sign of Breasia. Dinkins then turned around and drove back to Davenport, arriving around 7:52 a.m.

• 6:11am — Henry is heading northeast towards Clinton, Iowa
• 6:43am — Henry is on Highway 30 near Clinton.
• 6:49am — Henry stops at Walmart to pick up bleach.
• 7:10am — Henry leaves Walmart and heads back towards Davenport.
• 7:52am — Henry arrives in Davenport and heads south.

---

At 8:08 a.m., Dinkins texted Aishia Lankford to say he had just woken up and found Breasia missing. Aishia, who had just gotten to work, was immediately alarmed and began trying to contact him. Despite the concerning nature of his message, Dinkins did not appear to begin searching for Breasia. Instead, he took a roundabout route south through Concord Street, Rockingham Road, and Schmidt Road before re-entering Credit Island. Surveillance and cellphone data placed him back on the island between 8:18 and 8:22 a.m.—this marked the second time that morning Dinkins visited the secluded island for just a few minutes.

At 8:24 a.m., Dinkins and D.L. were seen at the parking lot near the garage storing his RV on Schmidt Road. Cameras recorded no sign of Breasia with them. They stayed only a brief moment before leaving again by 8:27 a.m. D.L. would later testify that during this brief stop, he witnessed his father cleaning a machete with the bleach. The machete was later recovered by investigators, hidden above the refrigerator inside the RV.

• 8:08am — Henry texts Aishia that Bresia is missing
• 8:14am — Henry heads north on Concord and then east on Rockingham Road.
• 8:15am — Henry passes the Purina plant heading towards Credit Island
• 8:18am – 8:22am — Henry drives onto Credit Island before leaving again a few moments later
• 8:24am — Henry and D.L. are at the RV
• 8:27am — They leave the RV again.

* The timeline here seems tight. The trip in and out of the RV may have been quick, but that does not seem to have left him with time to get the bleach out of the trunk, enter the RV with D.L., clean the machete, put it away, and then get D.L back into the car in time to leave. Based on the timing, they had at most around 9 minutes.

---

Soon after, Aishia—frantic and still unable to reach Dinkins—left work to try to find him. At 8:42 a.m., Aishia spotted Dinkins on the road and confronted him at a McDonald’s on Kimberly Road. Dinkins offered little explanation, repeating only that he had woken up and Breasia was gone. Aishia took D.L. into her care, and Dinkins drove off once more.

Over the next few hours, Dinkins continued to move through various parts of town. At 9:33 a.m., he was seen near 53rd Street, not far from his home. By 11:45 a.m., he was heading south again, this time toward the apartment of his mother and sister. At noon, he arrived at the Davenport Police Station for an interview, but denied having any information that could assist in the search for Breasia.

• 8:27am — Henry has left the mobile home and is heading north again
• 8:42am — Henry meets Aishia Lankford (Breasia’s mother) and drops off D.L.
• 9:33am — Henry is back on 53rd Street, not far from his home.
• 11:45am — Henry is heading south towards the apartment of his mother and sister.

---

Though Henry Dinkins was quickly labeled a person of interest, he was not immediately arrested in connection to the disappearance. On July 24, 2020, he was taken into custody for unrelated violations of sex offender registration requirements stemming from a 1990s conviction involving a child under 13. During this time, police issued calls to the public requesting information about Dinkins and his three vehicles: a maroon 2007 Chevy Impala, a black 2012 Chevy Camaro, and a 1980s King’s Highway RV.

Despite a strong public outcry, the Amber Alert for Breasia was not issued until five days after she vanished. It remained active for six months before being canceled in January 2021. Despite strong suspicions and some circumstantial evidence—including a bleach smell in Dinkins’ car, a possible blood-stained axe, and phone packaging—no direct physical evidence or the missing child could be found. A phone discovered near Clinton may have been related to the case, but its origin was never confirmed.

Law enforcement and volunteers searched extensively throughout the region—including Credit Island and Clinton County—but for months, no significant evidence emerged.

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings: Unknown

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered: March 22, 2021

Description: On March 22, 2021, eight months after Breasia’s disappearance, fishermen discovered human remains in a wooded area near DeWitt, Iowa—just minutes from the intersection of Highways 61 and 30, the route Dinkins had taken the morning Breasia vanished. The body was located roughly 20 yards from a pond. Nearby, investigators found a large T-shirt matching what Breasia had last been seen wearing, along with three bullets—two at the scene and one recovered during autopsy.

On March 29, authorities confirmed that the remains were Breasia Terrell. Her cause of death was determined to be homicide by firearm. The news devastated her family and sparked renewed calls for justice throughout the community.

In May 2021, Henry Dinkins was formally charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. The prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including Dinkins’ suspicious movements, inconsistent statements, and surveillance footage, as well as testimony from D.L.

Dinkins waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a bench trial that began in August 2023.

During the proceedings, D.L. testified that he saw his father shoot Breasia. However, his testimony conflicted with earlier accounts in which he said he only heard gunshots and never witnessed the shooting. He also claimed to have seen Dinkins and Andrea remove Breasia from the vehicle, adding further confusion to the sequence of events. He did reiterate that the last time he saw Breasia was in the apartment and that he did not see her after the two gun shots.

Due to the inconsistencies in D.L.’s statements—and his age at the time of the incident—his testimony was treated with caution. Futhermore, no traces of blood, DNA, hair, or other bodily elements were found in the RV or Henry’s vehicles. Still, prosecutors argued that Dinkins’ pattern of behavior, his bleach purchase, his prior conviction, and the fact that he was the last known person to be with Breasia left little doubt as to his responsibility.

On September 15, 2023, Judge Henry Latham found Henry Dinkins guilty of both first-degree murder and kidnapping. He was sentenced on October 11, 2023, to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. During sentencing, Breasia’s mother, Aishia, addressed the court with raw emotion: “I miss her. I miss her smell. I miss her smile. I miss everything about her… I love that she’s a truth-teller—I could use a truth-teller right about now.”

In June 2024, Dinkins was also convicted of methamphetamine distribution in an unrelated federal case. That charge added an additional 10-year sentence, though it does not affect his life terms.

Though the case lacked forensic evidence definitively linking Dinkins to Breasia’s death, the court ruled that the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. The community now mourns the loss of a vibrant child while also finding some closure in the justice system’s final verdict.

Breasia Terrell’s life was cut tragically short, but her memory lives on. Vigils, marches, and public memorials continue to honor her light, and her name serves as a reminder of the urgency and importance of protecting every child.

Possible Signs Of . . . : Assault with

Time of Death: Estimated July 10, 2020

Cause of Death: Homicide by Firearm

Recovered Remains (if partial): N/A

Suspected Homicide?: Yes

Multiple Victims?: No

DNA Tested (No Match): Yes (Matched)

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Description:

2007 Maroon Chevy Impala (primary vehicle linked to crime)

2012 Black Chevy Camaro

1980s King’s Highway RV

License Plate: Unknown

Description:

Name: Henry Earl Dinkins
Gender: Male
Race: African-American / Black
Age: Born in 1973 (approx. 47 years old at the time of Breasia’s disappearance in 2020)
Hair Color: Dark / Black
Eye Color: Brown
Facial Hair: Typically wears a mustache
Distinguishing Marks: Two noticeable moles on his face
Eyewear: May wear prescription glasses
Known Vehicles:

• 2007 Maroon Chevy Impala (primary vehicle linked to crime)
• 2012 Black Chevy Camaro
• 1980s King’s Highway RV

Criminal History:
Henry Dinkins is a convicted sex offender with a 1990s conviction involving the sexual assault of a girl under 13. At the time of Breasia Terrell’s disappearance, he was out of custody but later arrested for failing to comply with sex offender registry laws. He was named a person of interest early in the investigation and was formally charged in May 2021 with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in Breasia’s case.