On Thursday, an Ohio woman faced charges of aggravated murder following the grim discovery of her two young daughters’ bodies, each concealed within separate suitcases and buried in shallow graves in Cleveland, authorities confirmed.
Authorities have charged 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson with two counts of aggravated murder concerning the tragic deaths of Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson, as reported to Fox News Digital by police.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office verified the identities of the young victims, Mila, aged 8, and her half-sister, Amor, aged 10, through DNA relationship tests.
As of now, the medical examiner has not disclosed the cause of death.
Nichelle Wilson, the grandmother of Amor Wilson, one of the girls found earlier this week, stands alongside her friend Sharon Hunter at the memorial site in Cleveland on Thursday, March 5, 2026, (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The tragic discovery occurred on Monday evening when a man walking his dog near the intersection of East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue, close to Ginn Academy, noticed a partially buried suitcase and alerted the police.
Officers responded and located a shallow grave containing a deceased individual inside a suitcase. After canvassing the area, police found a second shallow grave and another suitcase containing a second body.
Mila’s father, DeShaun Chatman, said in an interview with The Associated Press that investigators told him late Wednesday that his daughter was dead.
Mila Chatman, 8, was identified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office after her body was found buried in a suitcase in Cleveland earlier this week. (DeShaun Chatman via AP)
Chatman said he had been pursuing custody of his daughter for five years and had sought emergency custody several times. He said he had not seen Mila since 2020, when she was 3 years old.
He also said he tried locating Mila through a child welfare agency but was unable to because he did not know where she was living.
“It’s very much horrible,” Chatman told the outlet.
People visit a memorial at the site where two girls bodies were found earlier this week, in Cleveland, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
He said Mila had ultimately been living near where the bodies were found, adding that he felt “useless — I couldn’t save my baby.”
“Mila was happy-go-lucky, always smiling,” Chatman said. “Favorite color was pink — she swore that she was a princess. She was always happy. She was a kid’s kid.”
Law enforcement officials said they detained Henderson on Wednesday evening. Another child was found seemingly in good health inside a house authorities searched and was placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, officials said.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said during a news conference earlier this week that the discovery was a “terrible, horrific situation.”
“This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community,” she said.
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