FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — Charges have been filed more than a year after a 17-year-old girl’s body was found in Fayette County.
According to the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office, Kaitlin Nicole Whoolery absconded from a drug treatment facility in November 2023 during a home visit and never came back.
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Investigators believed initially that she’d fallen victim to a drug overdose and that her body had been buried in an unknown location.
Nearly five months after her disappearance, Whoolery’s body was found on an abandoned property in North Union Township. Investigators got the exact location by agreeing not to pursue charges at that time against Vincent Cossell, 44, the DA’s office says.
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Forensic testing, additional evidence and interviews led to charges being filed against Derrick “Dream” Darnell Bradley, 37, officials say. Charges include interference with the custody of children, concealing the death of a child, abuse of a corpse and hindering apprehension.
Bradley is being held in the Fayette County Jail without bail.
Officials say similar charges are expected soon against Cossell.
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The criminal complaint shows that, during an interview on April 16, 2024, Cossell was asked about Whoolery’s body, to which he responded, “I buried it.”
Cossell told police that he, Bradley and Whoolery rented a room at a Uniontown hotel, where they were later joined by an unidentified fourth person.
Cossell said he and Bradley left the room for a bit, and when they returned, Whoolery was dead. Cossell said he performed CPR without success, records say.
Cossell said he and Bradley decided to place Whoolery’s body at the North Union Township property on Nov. 24, 2023, but they didn’t initially bury it, records say. Cossell claimed Bradley became paranoid and told him he “wanted her body placed in the ground” and offered to pay him to bury it. Cossell said he returned early Christmas morning and buried the body in a shallow grave.
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On Feb. 5, 2025, police interviewed Bradley, who refused to speak without an attorney present, records say.
On July 22, investigators interviewed the fourth person who was allegedly present at the hotel room.
The person told police that they were homeless at the time and needed somewhere to stay, so they spent the night with the others. They fell asleep and woke up in the morning to hear Cossell say Whoolery “looks like she’s dead,” records say.
Investigators say that, during the interview, the person made a statement that “would imply that drugs had been left of (sic.) the table of the hotel room.”
The person said Whoolery was given two doses of naloxone and CPR, though she did not revive. The person claimed they wanted to call police or EMS, but Cossell and Bradley refused for reasons including Cossell renting the room and Bradley having a relationship with Whoolery.
The person said they got a ride and left the other two in the room with the body, records say.
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