2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland were related, coroner says

2 Young Girls Found Dead in Suitcases in Cleveland Were Related, Coroner Says

Cuyahoga County’s medical examiner’s office confirmed on Wednesday that the two Black girls discovered in suitcases and buried in shallow graves on Cleveland’s east side were related. Initial DNA analysis revealed they were half-siblings, though neither victim has been officially identified yet, according to Christopher Harris, a spokesperson for the office.

The bodies were uncovered by a dog walker near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue, close to the Ginn Academy School, an all-boys public institution. The first corpse was found in the area, prompting a call to authorities. During the search, homicide detectives located a second shallow grave containing a second body.

“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.”

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd noted the girls were discovered in a location with minimal pedestrian activity. She added that there are no connections to ongoing missing persons reports in the area. No suspects or leads have been identified, and officers are urging anyone with relevant information to contact the homicide unit at 216-623-5464 or Crime Stoppers at 216-252-7463.

While the cause of death remains undetermined, Todd mentioned neither body showed signs of dismemberment. The man whose dog detected the bodies estimated the dirt mound had been present for at least a week.

Corky Siemaszko, a senior reporter for NBC News Digital, reported the findings.