CLEVELAND, OH - The identities of two deceased juveniles found stuffed inside a couple of abandoned suitcases in Cleveland earlier in March have been revealed, and an arrest has been made. The father of one of the deceased children spoke out after not being able to see his daughter for years.
As previously reported in Law Enforcement Today, Cleveland Police were alerted to a suitcase in the area of East 162nd Street in Midland on March 2, when a passerby walking his dog in a field believed the abandoned luggage contained human remains. Responding officers confirmed the suitcase contained a deceased juvenile, with police also finding a second suitcase containing the remains of another deceased child.
While police were initially unable to identify the decedents per a press briefing held by Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd shortly after the discovery, it reportedly took investigators less than 48 hours to identify the young girls and make an arrest in the case.
Cleveland Police arrested 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson on two counts of aggravated murder and child endangerment on March 4 after executing a search warrant at the suspect’s home located off of East 162nd Street. Henderson was reportedly the mother of the two victims, identified as 8-year-old Mila Chatman and 10-year-old Amor Wilson, although authorities have not shared a motive in the alleged murders.
Officials have yet to detail a suspected date and time of death regarding the two young victims, with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office actively working on determining the cause of death. A third child, who was seemingly in good health, was found inside the suspect’s home at the time the search warrant was executed and has since been placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
DeShaun Chatman, Mila’s father, had been denied access to his daughter by Henderson alongside numerous courts and agencies for years, according to a statement he delivered to WEAU 13, saying, “I’ve been looking for my daughter for five years. I’ve been calling child protective services, going to the courts, trying to get emergency custody, and calling the police for welfare checks. But they denied all access.”
In a separate interview with FOX 8, Chatman was visiting the makeshift memorial where his daughter and her half-sibling were found, telling the outlet, “I just feel useless. I couldn’t save my daughter.”
Chatman expanded on his frustration over his estranged ex’s unwillingness to grant him custody or mere access to his child, saying, “When it was something so simple. Just give me her. You’re feeling stressed, give me her. I’ve been trying to get her for six years. You’ve been ducking me. You told me I was too family-oriented. That’s why you ain’t giving my daughter. Been tried, tried, tried. Then, I talked to CPS on numerous occasions.”
According to Chatman, both he and the other victim’s father, who has not come out publicly, would frequently try to locate Henderson in a bid to work with her over custody, but Henderson “was always leaving.”
While wrestling with the loss of his daughter, Chatman is also having to deal with the unknowns relating to his daughter’s death, saying, “I don’t know how long she’s been gone, how long she’s been dead. I don’t know how long she’s been missing, but it could have been prevented.”
As previously reported in Law Enforcement Today, Cleveland Police were alerted to a suitcase in the area of East 162nd Street in Midland on March 2, when a passerby walking his dog in a field believed the abandoned luggage contained human remains. Responding officers confirmed the suitcase contained a deceased juvenile, with police also finding a second suitcase containing the remains of another deceased child.
While police were initially unable to identify the decedents per a press briefing held by Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd shortly after the discovery, it reportedly took investigators less than 48 hours to identify the young girls and make an arrest in the case.
Cleveland Police arrested 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson on two counts of aggravated murder and child endangerment on March 4 after executing a search warrant at the suspect’s home located off of East 162nd Street. Henderson was reportedly the mother of the two victims, identified as 8-year-old Mila Chatman and 10-year-old Amor Wilson, although authorities have not shared a motive in the alleged murders.
Officials have yet to detail a suspected date and time of death regarding the two young victims, with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office actively working on determining the cause of death. A third child, who was seemingly in good health, was found inside the suspect’s home at the time the search warrant was executed and has since been placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
DeShaun Chatman, Mila’s father, had been denied access to his daughter by Henderson alongside numerous courts and agencies for years, according to a statement he delivered to WEAU 13, saying, “I’ve been looking for my daughter for five years. I’ve been calling child protective services, going to the courts, trying to get emergency custody, and calling the police for welfare checks. But they denied all access.”
In a separate interview with FOX 8, Chatman was visiting the makeshift memorial where his daughter and her half-sibling were found, telling the outlet, “I just feel useless. I couldn’t save my daughter.”
Chatman expanded on his frustration over his estranged ex’s unwillingness to grant him custody or mere access to his child, saying, “When it was something so simple. Just give me her. You’re feeling stressed, give me her. I’ve been trying to get her for six years. You’ve been ducking me. You told me I was too family-oriented. That’s why you ain’t giving my daughter. Been tried, tried, tried. Then, I talked to CPS on numerous occasions.”
According to Chatman, both he and the other victim’s father, who has not come out publicly, would frequently try to locate Henderson in a bid to work with her over custody, but Henderson “was always leaving.”
While wrestling with the loss of his daughter, Chatman is also having to deal with the unknowns relating to his daughter’s death, saying, “I don’t know how long she’s been gone, how long she’s been dead. I don’t know how long she’s been missing, but it could have been prevented.”
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