Missing from: Whiteville, North Carolina
Missing since: September 29, 2002
Age at disappearance: 4
Height: 3′ 10″
Weight: 90
Hair: Brown/Black
Eyes: Black
Distinguishing Characteristics: Scars, Marks, Tattoos: African American female. Light complexion. Pierced ears. Birthmark on her arm in the shape of a seashell. Her hair was styled in small braids tied with small bows and/or barrettes. Clothing: Gray FUBU t-shirt, blue jeans, white socks and black sneakers.
Details of Disappearance: Kynande was reportedly last seen by her mother, Vartasha “Tasha” McCullough, at a K-Mart department store at 5:00 p.m. They resided in Conway, South Carolina and were visiting Kynande’s uncle in Whiteville, North Carolina that day. At first McCullough claimed Kynande disappeared in an aisle of the store, but she later changed her story and said she walked into the store and thought Kynande was behind her, but turned around and she was gone. Nobody remembered seeing the child with her mother in K-Mart that day. Investigators claim that there is no evidence that Kynande was even in the state at the time. No one other than Kynande’s parents saw her in the two days before she was reported missing. Authorities later discovered biological evidence in McCullough’s apartment that suggested a physical assault had taken place. The evidence was matched through DNA to Kynande.
Kynande’s parents were both arrested in February 2003 and charged with homicide by child abuse in connection with their daughter’s case. On October 6, 2005, the charges against Kevin Bennett were dropped due to lack of sufficient evidence. McCullough will stand trial beginning February 6, 2006. On February 10, 2006, Vartasha McCullough was convicted of homicide by child abuse – specifically, knowingly aiding and abetting, unlawful neglect of a child and inflicting great bodily harm on a child. The judge sentenced her to 20 years in prison.
Investigating Agency: Whiteville Police Department at (910) 640-1428
If you have any information on this case, please contact CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910) 343-1131 or call the CUE Center 24-hour tip line at (910) 232-1687. All information submitted to CUE Center for Missing Persons is confidential.