Mother charged with murder after bodies of 2 girls found in suitcases in Cleveland field: Prosecutors

(CLEVELAND) — A 28-year-old mother has been charged with murder days after the bodies of two girls were found in suitcases in a field in Cleveland, police said.

Aliyah Henderson was charged with two counts of aggravated murder in connection with the deaths of her daughters, according to prosecutors.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said the girls were determined to be half-siblings and identified them as Amor Wilson, 10, and Mila Chatman, 8, both of Cleveland.

Prosecutors alleged that Henderson caused the death of her daughters, and their “badly decomposed” bodies were discovered in shallow graves in suitcases.

Cuyahoga County Judge Jeffrey Johnson set her bond at $2 million during her arraignment on Friday, citing the nature of the allegations and “my concern for the safety of the public.” She did not enter a plea.

Detectives began investigating the deaths on Monday, following the “horrific” discovery, according to Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd. 

An individual spotted one of the bodies inside a suitcase while walking a dog in a residential neighborhood on Monday evening and reported it to police, according to Todd. 

Responding officers located a second body in another suitcase nearby, Todd said. Both suitcases were in a shallow grave in a field near a school, she said.

The manner and cause of death are still pending, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday.

It was unclear how long the girls had been at the location, just that “it was some time,” and that there were no clear indicators of the cause of death, Todd told reporters Tuesday. 

“This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community,” Todd said.

Police said Thursday that the cause of death had not yet been determined.

The investigation led detectives to execute a search warrant at a residence located within a block of the field on Wednesday, where they “recovered substantial evidence related to the case,” the Cleveland Division of Police said.

A person of interest was detained on Wednesday, with Cleveland Police Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz telling reporters it was a “significant break” in the case. 

Todd said in a statement Thursday that “careful and methodical work” in the case “allowed our detectives to develop the evidence needed to make quick identification of a person of interest, ultimately resulting in an arrest.”

A child located inside the searched home has been taken into custody by the county’s Department of Children and Family Services, police said. The child appeared to be in good health, police said.