CLEVELAND, Ohio: The mother of two young girls who buried their bodies after stuffing them in suitcases in Cleveland was charged on March 5 with two counts of aggravated murder, police said.

A dog walker led authorities to the suitcases four days earlier, leading to the recovery of the children's remains.

The recoveries led to the arrest of Aliyah Henderson, 28, who was accused of killing Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson.

Mila's father, DeShaun Chatman, said he had spent five years searching for his daughter and trying to gain custody before investigators informed him late on March 4 that she had died.

Chatman said he repeatedly sought emergency custody and attempted to track Mila through a child welfare agency, but his efforts failed because he did not know where she and her mother were living.

Chatman said it was horrible that Mila had been living within sight of the place where the bodies were eventually discovered. He said he felt useless because he could not save his baby.

Phone numbers previously linked to Henderson were no longer active, and it was not clear whether she had a lawyer.

According to a police case report, two suitcases containing the bodies were found about 25 feet (8 meters) apart in a field near Ginn Academy in Cleveland's South Collinwood neighborhood.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the identities late on March 5, saying DNA relationship testing helped establish their identities. The office said Mila would have been eight years old, while her half-sister Amor would have been 10.

Police Sergeant Wilfredo Diaz said officers detained Henderson on the evening of March 4 after detectives carried out initial interviews and reviewed evidence. During a search of a house linked to the investigation, officers also found a child who appeared to be in good health. The child was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services, police said.

Chatman, who works as a restaurant cook, said he and Henderson were not married but lived together for about a year after Mila was born. The last time he saw his daughter was in 2020, when she was three.

He added that authorities have not yet told him how the girls died.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd told reporters earlier this week that it was a tragic situation, and they were hoping to find answers.

Categories: U.S. news, United States news, Ohio news, Cleveland news, Breaking U.S. Police news, Breaking Law Enforcement news, Breaking Kids news, Breaking Parenting news, Breaking Women's Interest news. officers detained Henderson on the evening of March 4 after detectives carried out initial interviews and reviewed evidence. During a search of a house linked to the investigation, officers also found a child who appeared to be in good health. The child was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services, police said.

Chatman, who works as a restaurant cook, said he and Henderson were not married but lived together for about a year after Mila was born. The last time he saw his daughter was in 2020, when she was three.

He added that authorities have not yet told him how the girls died.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd told reporters earlier this week that it was a tragic situation, and they were hoping to find answers.