A grisly discovery at a Cleveland playground has led to murder charges against a mother accused of killing her two young daughters and hiding their bodies in suitcases buried nearby.
According to the New York Post, Aliyah Henderson, 28, was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail on Wednesday evening on two counts of aggravated murder in connection with the deaths of Amor Wilson, 10, and her 8-year-old half-sister, Mila Chatman, authorities said.
Investigators detained Henderson after conducting interviews, searching a residence, and reviewing evidence connected to the case.
Officials also located another child inside Henderson’s home, who was found in good health.
The child has since been placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.
The investigation intensified after a shocking discovery Monday evening at a playground near Ginn Academy, the only all-boys’ public high school in Ohio.
Cleveland resident Phillip Donaldson said he stumbled upon the disturbing scene while walking his dog around 6 p.m. His dog refused to leave a mound of dirt at the playground, prompting him to investigate.
When Donaldson dug into the mound, he uncovered a suitcase.
Inside, he said he discovered “somebody’s head in it” before quickly calling 911, according to News5Cleveland.
Police responding to the scene later located a second suitcase buried in a shallow grave nearby, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said during a Tuesday news conference.
The remains were identified as two “juvenile black females,” authorities said.
Todd noted the bodies had been buried for “some time,” though investigators said the victims had not been dismembered.
The exact cause of death has not yet been determined.
“It is traumatic for everyone,” Todd said. “It is traumatic for those who live in the area to know that this was right there at their doorstep.”
For Mila’s father, DeShaun Chatman, the news brought a devastating end to a years-long effort to find his daughter.
Chatman said he had been trying to locate Mila and gain custody of her for five years before investigators informed him Wednesday that she had died.
He was never married to Henderson but said the two lived together for about a year after Mila was born.
Chatman last saw his daughter in 2020 when she was just three years old. Since then, he said he repeatedly sought emergency custody and attempted to locate her through a child welfare agency.
Those efforts failed because he did not know where she was living.
“It’s very much horrible,” Chatman said, adding that he later learned Mila had been living within view of the park where the bodies were found.
He also expressed deep regret over not being able to intervene sooner.
“I felt useless — I couldn’t save my baby.”
