2 persons of interest in child abduction deny involvement
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Two people arrested after a girl was abducted from a birthday party in Alabama deny any involvement in her disappearance, their lawyers said Friday as police released new surveillance video of a potential suspect.
Attorneys for Patrick Devone Stallworth, 39, and Derick Irisha Brown,
29, separately denied their clients had anything to do with the abduction of 3-year-old Kamille McKinney, known as “Cupcake” to her family.
Authorities have said the girl was abducted from a public housing project during a birthday party last Saturday night. Her whereabouts remain a mystery.
“We hope that the Birmingham Police Department will do everything with the FBI to find the child. We hope the child is still alive, and the child is doing well,” Stallworth’s lawyer, Emory Anthony, said at a news conference.
In a statement, attorneys for Brown said she was “horrified” by the girl’s disappearance but had no involvement.
The statements came as police released surveillance video seeking information about another potential person of interest seen near the abduction scene before the girl disappeared.
The unidentified man, shown in the video near a child believed to be Cupcake and another youngster, may know something about what happened, Police Chief Patrick Smith said at a news conference.
Smith also sought volunteers for a search planned for Sunday. Without disclosing details, Smith said the search would involve an area frequented by a person of interest in the case.
Police previously identified Stallworth and Brown, whom he dates, as persons of interest in the disappearance. Both were arrested on charges unrelated to her abduction, and Stallworth is free on bond.
Anthony said Stallworth did own a vehicle sought by police after being seen in the area, but he denied that the man had anything to do with the girl or knows her family.