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CLEVELAND (BFMG) — A woman has been charged with murder and child endangerment after the bodies of two young girls were found in suitcases in a Cleveland field, police said Wednesday.
Cleveland Police have not publicly identified the 28-year-old suspect, though local reports identified her as Aliyah Henderson, who was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail Wednesday evening. Police took her into custody earlier in the day for questioning.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said both victims are believed to be girls, estimated to be between 8½ and 13 years old and 10½ and 14 years old. There was no immediately apparent cause of death, and investigators believe the bodies had been at the site for “an extended period.”
Todd said detectives have not found any missing persons reports matching the girls’ descriptions. She said local, state, and federal agencies are assisting in the investigation, which she called “a priority” for the department.
“This discovery has been incredibly traumatic — not only for our responding officers but for our entire community,” Todd said, urging anyone with information to contact police.
The girls were discovered Monday, March 2, when a person walking a dog noticed a suspicious object off a path near a Cleveland school and called 911. Officers located one suitcase containing a body and soon found another nearby.
A Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office update on March 4 confirmed through DNA testing that the victims were half sisters. Authorities have not publicly released their names.
Neighbors told reporters that the woman now charged lived in a nearby home where police executed a search warrant on Wednesday.
