Cleveland playground now a place of mourning for two girls found in suitcases
Cleveland playground now a place of mourning for two girls found in suitcases
Known as Saranac Playground, the green space on Cleveland’s east side has become a site of quiet sorrow after the bodies of two young girls were discovered there. The tragic find has transformed the area into a gathering place for those mourning 8-year-old Mila Chatman and her half-sibling, 10-year-old Amor Wilson, who were found stuffed inside suitcases and buried in shallow graves. The discovery has sparked a wave of public reflection, with a growing display of toys and flowers left at the spot.
Aliyah Henderson, the 28-year-old mother of the girls, faces two counts of aggravated murder following the incident. During her first court appearance on Friday at Cleveland Municipal Court, she was held in handcuffs and remained composed as the judge set her bond at $2 million. The decision was based on the severity of the allegations and concerns for public safety. Henderson, dressed in a blue sweatshirt, only offered a brief “Thank you” when the judge wished her luck.
The bodies were in advanced stages of decomposition, according to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristine Travaglini, who described the scene at the hearing. While the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to reveal the exact circumstances of their deaths, DNA analysis confirmed the girls were half-siblings. Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd noted that neither child had been dismembered, though she provided no further details about the other child currently in custody.
“It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff … and she was taking too long,” Phillip Donaldson told WEWS-TV. “So I went back and looked, and it was a suitcase that was half-buried, and I pulled it up and looked in it, and it was a head. Somebody’s head in it.”
Donaldson’s dog reportedly detected the first body, leading to the discovery of a second shallow grave. He claimed the pile of dirt had been there for at least a week. Deshaun Chatman, Mila’s father, visited the burial site on Thursday, stating he hadn’t seen his daughter in years. He described Henderson as evasive and mentioned repeated attempts to secure custody through the Department of Children and Family Services.
“I just feel useless,” Chatman said. “I couldn’t save my daughter.”
Cuyahoga County spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia, in a statement, acknowledged the girls’ deaths as a “tragedy for their families and our entire community” and refused to share more details, citing ongoing investigations and Ohio’s confidentiality laws. NBC News has sought comment from Henderson’s mother but has not yet received a response. Earlier, in 2019, Henderson and her daughters were featured in a Cleveland Plain Dealer story highlighting a hospital program for families in need, with a photograph showing Henderson smiling while holding her children.
