News

Missing Toddler Found Dead Days After Dad Arrested & Charged with Killing Her Mom

NewsPublished Mar 19, 2019
By Genny Glassman
Noelani RobinsonGoFundMe

The father of a 2-year-old girl has been arrested and charged with murder after a sequence of events led to the discovery of her mom's body and then the deceased child just days later. Toddler Noelani Robinson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was found dead and wrapped in a blanket by the side of the road Friday after police issued a nationwide amber alert to find the girl. Before Noelani's body was located, police alleged that her father, Dariaz L. Higgins, fatally shot her mother, Sierra Robinson, outside an apartment building. They said he lured her and a friend to the scene by pretending that Noelani was waiting for them inside, before murdering Robinson and taking off with the toddler.

According to reports, Noelani's parents had a complicated relationship, which kicked off a deadly sequence of events that police believe involved human trafficking.-placeholder
According to reports, Noelani's parents had a complicated relationship, which kicked off a deadly sequence of events that police believe involved human trafficking.
GoFundMe

According to reports, Noelani's parents had a complicated relationship, which kicked off a deadly sequence of events that police believe involved human trafficking.

Noelani's parents, Robinson, 24, and Higging, 34, had more than a romantic relationship before the crime, according to KTLA. Police reports characterize Higgins as being Robinson's former pimp and that although they had once been in a relationship, at some point they stopped dating. After they separated, the 24-year-old reportedly wanted to move to Las Vegas, so she left her 2-year-old daughter with Higgins while she moved out there last month. 

A friend allegedly told police that Higgins was living in Miami while Robinson was in Las Vegas, but charging documents list a Milwaukee address for the dad. Robinson reportedly then wanted to get her daughter back from Higgins, so the two agreed to meet in Milwaukee and make the swap.

According to charging documents, the pair plus a friend of Robinson's, who also characterized Higgins as her former pimp, met Monday. The two women split an ecstasy pill in the car they were driving before Higgins and Robinson agreed to get back together. Higgins then lured the two women to an apartment building where he claimed his daughter was waiting. Prosecutors allege that Higgins then shot Robinson and her friend multiple times when they got out of the car. 

Authorities have not confirmed if they believe that Noelani was ever at the apartment building. Her mother was killed by the gunfire and her friend was wounded.

Police issued an amber alert o the public for help in locating the little girl.-placeholder
Police issued an amber alert o the public for help in locating the little girl.
GoFundMe

Police issued an amber alert o the public for help in locating the little girl.

Police arrested Higgins on Wednesday, and prosecutors charged him with first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon, and resisting or obstructing an officer, but still a question remained: Where was Noelani?

 An amber alert was issued for the girl on March 12, as police asked "the entire nation" for help finding her. They said the girl's parents traveled so frequently around the country that she could be anywhere. Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales told reporters that law enforcement was afraid the girl was at the mercy of human traffickers -- though he could only explain they came to this conclusion because "that's the world that these two individuals lived in, the victim and the suspect."

But on Friday, two days after Higgins's arrest, the truth about the girl's disappearance came to light. An off-duty public works employee found a body of a young girl wrapped inside a blanket on the shoulder of the road in Minnesota. The spot was about 300 miles west of where Higgins had promised Robinson their daughter was waiting for her. Police couldn't tell how long the child's body had been there, but they believed the death had not occurred within the last 24 hours and it "had been there for quite some time," Morales said. 

“We believe we have found Noelani. We believe that currently, this is going to be a death investigation,” he continued. The preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

The police chief noted that it's “just too early to tell" if Higgins was also responsible for the death of his daughter. He was in that area of Minnesota last week and stayed in a hotel near where the body was found.

“Obviously, we need the autopsy to assist us, the time of death and the venue,” Morales said. “We believe we’re headed in that direction.”

Miliwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett spoke aout Noelani. “She was a beautiful toddler and her life was cut short as a result of human trafficking,” he said, according to People. “Her unfortunate death is a reminder of the dangers of human trafficking.”

Milwaukee Police Lt. Eric Gulbrandson also echoed this sentiment. “There is human trafficking involved in this case," he said.

Police say Higgins only made the case more difficult to crack by lying to them about Noelani's whereabouts.

Morales said Higgins originally provided police with false information about where his daughter might be before they eventually found her. “The suspect is a cold-blooded killer, and our search to find Noelani has become a game to him,” he said. "It’s obvious that as a parent he truly doesn’t care about Noelani.” 

Bail of $1,000,000 has been set for Higgins while he awaits his fate in jail. If his bail does get paid, the court demanded he be placed on an electronic monitoring system. The court also ordered Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department to get a DNA sample from Higgins and set another court date for March 25. Higgins has not been charged in Noelani's death but police are still investigating.

“When, where and who killed Noelani Robinson will be determined during the course of the BCA’s investigation,” the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a press release.

On a GoFundMe page created by friends and family of Robinson and her daughter, loved ones spoke highly of Robinson and her legacy. "Sierra was such a blessing to our world! She lived life on her own terms and had a smile that lit up any room," the page read. 

"Please continue to keep the family and friends of Sierra and Noelani in your thoughts in prayers as they grieve."

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