SUITCASE HORROR—Two Girls Buried While Dad Searched

Yellow police tape marking a crime scene with blurred lights in the background

A Cleveland mother now faces aggravated murder charges after her two young daughters were discovered buried in suitcases—while their father spent five years desperately searching for them through a child welfare system that failed to locate the girls even as he pursued custody.

Story Snapshot

Aliyah Henderson, 28, charged with two counts of aggravated murder after daughters Mila Chatman, 8, and Amor Wilson, 10, found dead in suitcases near Cleveland school
Father DeShaun Chatman unsuccessfully pursued custody for five years, unable to locate daughter through child welfare agencies despite multiple emergency custody attempts
Dog walker discovered partially buried suitcases Monday evening in field near Ginn Academy; police found second body 25 feet away
Third child found alive and placed with Department of Children and Family Services; cause of death not yet released

Horrific Discovery Near Cleveland School

A man walking his dog Monday evening near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood made a gruesome discovery when his dog led him to a partially buried suitcase near a playground fence. After unzipping the suitcase and seeing a head inside, the dog walker immediately called police. Officers arrived to find a second shallow grave containing another suitcase approximately 25 feet from the first location. The burial site sat in a public field near Ginn Academy, underscoring the brazen nature of the concealment in proximity to a school and playground where children regularly gather.

Mother Charged After DNA Confirms Victims’ Identities

Cleveland Police detained Aliyah Henderson, 28, Wednesday evening after detectives completed initial interviews and examined evidence. She was formally charged Thursday with two counts of aggravated murder. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office used DNA relationship testing to identify the victims as Mila Chatman, 8, and Amor Wilson, 10, who were half-sisters. Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd characterized the discovery as a “terrible, horrific situation” and acknowledged the traumatic impact on both officers and the community. The medical examiner’s office has not yet released the cause of death for either child as the investigation continues.

Father’s Five-Year Search Reveals System Failure

DeShaun Chatman, Mila’s father, revealed he had been pursuing custody of his daughter for five years and sought emergency custody multiple times without success. He last saw Mila in 2020 when she was just 3 years old. Chatman attempted to locate his daughter through a child welfare agency but was unable to do so because he did not know where she was living. This represents a catastrophic failure of the child welfare system that should protect parental rights and children’s safety. The inability of child protective services to provide location information to a father actively pursuing legal custody raises serious questions about information-sharing protocols between agencies and family courts.

Surviving Child and Unanswered Questions

Authorities found a third child during the investigation who appeared to be in good health. The Department of Children and Family Services placed this surviving child in custody, though details about the child’s condition and relationship to the victims remain limited. The case reveals significant power imbalances where a mother maintained custody and control while a biological father was systematically prevented from locating or accessing his daughter despite five years of legal efforts. This tragedy demonstrates how bureaucratic obstacles can become deadly when agencies fail to coordinate effectively. Chatman described his daughter as “happy-go-lucky, always smiling” with pink as her favorite color, noting “she swore that she was a princess,” expressing his anguish: “I couldn’t save my baby.”

Henderson remains in custody as prosecutors build their case for two counts of aggravated murder. The investigation continues with multiple agencies examining evidence and working to establish a timeline of events. The case will proceed through Ohio’s criminal justice system while the surviving child receives necessary support services. This heartbreaking case should prompt serious examination of child welfare protocols that allowed two young girls to disappear from a father’s reach for years, ultimately costing them their lives when bureaucratic failures prevented intervention that might have saved them.