Person of interest detained in case of 2 young girls found in suitcases near Cleveland school

A person of interest has been detained by Cleveland Police in the case of the bodies of two young girls found in suitcases near a Cleveland school Monday night.

Cleveland Police SGT. Freddie Diaz said that during a search warrant at an address near the area of East 162nd and Midland Avenue on Wednesday, they were able to identify the person of interest.

The person will be interviewed, and the investigation will continue.

Diaz said this person has not been arrested, just detained.

On Wednesday morning, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner confirmed through DNA that the two girls are half-siblings.

At this time, they have not been positively identified, and no further information is available while the investigation is ongoing.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd confirmed the bodies of two young girls were found in suitcases on the city’s East Side on Monday evening.

Cleveland police were called just after 6 p.m. to a field in the area of East 163rd and Midland Avenue for a suspected dead body.

According to police sources, a man was walking his dog in the area, for the first time in a while, due to the snow, and the dog hit on the scent.

The man immediately called 911.

“The officers responded out and located a deceased individual that was in a shallow grave inside of a suitcase,” said Chief Todd.

When officers and homicide detectives got to the scene, Todd said they found the second body nearby.

According to the chief, both suitcases were partially buried in shallow graves. She said the victims had been there quite some time.

“It is traumatic for everyone. It is traumatic for those who live in the area to know that this was right there at their doorstep,” said Todd.

Authorities said one victim is believed to be 8-and-a-half to 13 years old and the other is believed to be 10-and-a-half to 14 years old.

“Locally, we have no reports of missing children to match these identifications. We are checking statewide as well. We have assistance from our state, federal and local partners,” said Todd.

Detectives are checking with state and federal partners as well.

This crime scene is located near Ginn Academy in the city’s South Collinwood neighborhood.

Police said the investigation remains in its very early stages and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.

Tips can remain anonymous.

Two girls found dead in suitcases were related, medical examiner says

Investigators in Cleveland believe the victims were between the ages of 8 and 14

The two young girls found stuffed inside suitcases and buried in shallow graves in a Cleveland neighborhood were related, authorities have revealed, marking the first major breakthrough in the grim case.

A preliminary DNA examination determined the girls were half-siblings, according to a new report released by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office in Ohio on Wednesday.

The bodies were discovered Monday night in the area of South Collinwood by a man walking his dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue, close to Ginn Academy School, Chief Dorothy Todd said during a news conference this week.

Investigators believe the girls were between the ages of 8 and 14, but neither has been positively identified. No cause of death has been released.

“At this time, neither decedent has been positively identified,” Christopher Harris, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, said in a statement, according to NBC News.

Officers arrived on the scene around 6 p.m. Monday after the caller reported finding “what appeared to be a body inside of a suitcase,” Todd told reporters.

A search of the area led to “what appeared to be a second shallow grave, and they could tell that there was a second suitcase in that location,” the chief said.

Police have not determined how long the girls had been buried, though Todd said they had been there for “some time.”

Phillip Donaldson, the dog walker who found the first suitcase told local media the mound of dirt had been visible for at least a week. He recalled his disturbing discovery to News 5.

“It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff … and she was taking too long,” Donaldson said, referring to his dog. “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.”

Authorities estimate one girl was between 8½ and 13 years old, while the other was believed to be between 10½ and 14 years old. Both victims were Black. Todd said neither body appeared to have been dismembered.

The girls were found in an area with little foot traffic and have not been linked to any active missing persons cases in the Cleveland area.

“Locally, we have no reports of missing children to match these identifications. We are checking statewide as well. We have assistance from our state, federal and local partners,” she said.

Investigators may face challenges obtaining surveillance footage from the area as “a lot of cameras don’t capture historical data,” Todd said.

“It is traumatic for everyone,” the chief added. “It is traumatic for those who live in the area to know that this was right there at their doorstep.”

No suspects have been identified, police said. But Todd urged anyone with information to contact the Cleveland Police Department’s homicide unit at 216-623-5464 or Crime Stoppers at 216-252-7463.