A 28-year-old Cleveland woman is now behind bars, charged with murder in connection with the deaths of two young Black girls whose bodies were found stuffed inside suitcases and buried in shallow graves on the city’s east side.
Aliyah Henderson was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail on Wednesday (March 4), two days after the girls’ remains were discovered near her home in the 700 block of East 162nd Street, in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood. According to Cleveland 19 News, Henderson faces charges of murder and child endangerment.
The grim discovery happened Monday evening (March 2), just after 6 p.m., when a man walking his dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue noticed something in the ground. His dog caught a scent, and the man immediately called 911. When officers arrived, they found the first body inside a suitcase buried in a shallow grave. As detectives searched the area, they found a second shallow grave containing another suitcase — and another body inside.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd confirmed the girls are believed to be between 8 and 14 years old. A preliminary DNA examination by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the two girls were half-siblings. They have not yet been officially identified, and a cause of death has not been released.
During a search of Henderson’s home, officers found a third child, who appeared to be in good health. That child is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
“These were two young lives with their entire futures ahead of them,” Todd said in a statement. “Our detectives worked tirelessly and with great care to identify those responsible. Investigations of this nature require patience, precision, and discretion.”
At this time, police have not confirmed Henderson’s relationship to the girls. No missing children reports matching the girls’ descriptions had been filed locally, and authorities said they are continuing to check state and federal databases.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
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