Mother Charged After Girls Found in Suitcases in Cleveland

A Cleveland woman has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder after authorities discovered the bodies of two young girls inside suitcases earlier this month, police said.

The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson, was formally charged on March 5 in connection with the deaths of Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson. The case began when a dog walker alerted authorities after finding two suitcases in a field near Ginn Academy in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood.

According to police reports, the suitcases containing the children’s remains were located about 25 feet apart. Investigators later confirmed the identities of the victims through DNA relationship testing conducted by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials said Mila would have been eight years old, while her half-sister Amor would have been 10.

The discoveries led to Henderson’s arrest. Cleveland Police Sergeant Wilfredo Diaz said officers detained her on the evening of March 4 after detectives conducted interviews and reviewed evidence.

During a search of a residence connected to the investigation, officers located another child who appeared to be in good health. Police said the child was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.

Phone numbers previously associated with Henderson were no longer active, and it was not immediately clear whether she had legal representation.

Mila’s father, DeShaun Chatman, said he had spent several years attempting to locate his daughter and gain custody before learning of her death from investigators on the night of March 4. Chatman said he had repeatedly sought emergency custody and attempted to track Mila through a child welfare agency, but was unable to determine where she and her mother were living.

He added that it was devastating to learn his daughter had been living near the location where the suitcases were later discovered and said he felt powerless because he could not save her.

Chatman said he and Henderson were not married but lived together for about a year after Mila was born. The last time he saw his daughter was in 2020, when she was three years old.

Authorities have not yet informed him how the girls died.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd told reporters earlier this week that the case remains deeply troubling and that investigators are continuing their efforts to determine what happened.

“It was a tragic situation, and they were hoping to find answers,” Todd said.