Deaths of Amor Wilson and Mila Chatman
Cleveland

Background prior to discovery

2017

• Aliyah Henderson changed her last name from Aliyah Branic to Aliyah Henderson

May 10, 2019

• Aliyah Henderson participated in the University Hospitals program called Rainbow Connects, which aims to identify and meet families’ basic needs, including food, clothing, diapers, utilities, transportation, emotional support and other resources. Source
• During the meeting, Henderson spoke with Beard, a 22-year-old graduate student in medical physiology at Case Western Reserve University who planned to become a physician and was assisting with the screening process.
• Beard asked Henderson a standard program question: “In the last year did you ever worry that you’d run out of food stamps or not have enough money for food?” Henderson nodded in response, indicating concern about food security. As the screening continued, Henderson told the volunteer she also needed help obtaining baby clothes, furniture, and diapers.
• Henderson stated: “Everybody needs diapers.”
• At the time of the visit:
• Henderson was holding her 3-year-old daughter, Amor Wilson, on her lap.
• Her 1-year-old daughter, Mila Chatman, was playing nearby.
• The girls’ grandmother, Lei Branic, entertained Mila with a game of peekaboo using a donated hand-knit blanket.
• The discussion included the financial difficulty families face purchasing diapers.

March 5, 2020

• A photograph later released by the family shows Amor Wilson (10) and Mila Chatman (8) together in Cleveland.
• This image later circulated publicly after their identities were confirmed.

2020

• DeShaun Chatman, the father of Mila Chatman, reported that he last saw his daughter in 2020 when she was three years old.
• After that point, he said he could no longer locate the child or her mother.

2020–2025

• Chatman stated he spent approximately five years attempting to locate Mila and obtain custody.
• He reported repeatedly contacting courts and child welfare agencies seeking help.
• Because he did not know the address where the child and her mother were living, his efforts were unsuccessful.

September to November 2021

• Henderson stops paying rent at her Parkhill address

School records

August – November 2022

• Amor Wilson and Mila Chatman were enrolled in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District for several months.
• The district later confirmed they attended between August 2022 and Nov. 4, 2022.

November 4, 2022

• Both girls were withdrawn from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
• Records initially indicated they were transferred to the Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (OHDELA).

After Nov. 4, 2022

• OHDELA later stated they had no enrollment records for either child, leaving their schooling status after 2022 unclear.

Discovery and Investigation

March 2, 2026

Discovery of the bodies

• 6:03 p.m. The man contacted police. A man walking his dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue discovered a suitcase partially buried in a field near Ginn Academy and Saranac Playground.
• He looked inside and observed what appeared to be human remains.
• Police response
• Officers from the Cleveland Division of Police responded to the scene.
• Investigators confirmed a young girl’s body inside the suitcase buried in a shallow grave.
• Additional discovery
• While searching the area, detectives located a second suitcase approximately 25 feet away, also buried in a shallow grave.
• The second suitcase contained another child’s body.
• Crime scene actions
• Police secured the field as a double homicide investigation.
• Evidence technicians documented the graves and suitcases.
• The bodies were transported to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.

March 3, 2026

Early investigation

• Police held a press briefing regarding the discovery.
• At that time investigators stated:
• No missing children in the area matched the victims’ descriptions.
• Detectives were reviewing surveillance footage and canvassing residents.
• Authorities established a 24-hour tip line for information.

March 4, 2026

Victim identification process

• Forensic examiners began DNA analysis due to decomposition.
• Relationship DNA testing confirmed the victims were half-sisters.
• Victims identified
• Amor Wilson, age 10
• Mila Chatman, age 8
• Conditions prior to discovery
• Investigators reported that the girls’ bodies were badly decomposed when discovered, suggesting they had been dead for some time before discovery.
• The exact time of death has not yet been publicly determined by the medical examiner.
• Development of suspect Source
• Detectives conducted interviews with neighbors and potential witnesses.
• Surveillance video from nearby areas was reviewed.
• Evidence and investigative leads pointed toward their mother, Aliyah Henderson, age 28.
• Investigators detained Aliyah Henderson after completing interviews and collecting evidence.  Source

March 5, 2026

Search of residence

• Police executed a search warrant at 701 of East 162nd Street Apt B connected to Henderson.
• A third child, approximately six years old, was located in the residence alive and unharmed.
• The child was taken into custody by Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services.

March 6, 2026

Charges and arraignment

• Henderson was formally charged with two counts of aggravated murder.

Court hearing

• She appeared before a judge in Cuyahoga County court.
• Bond was set at $2 million due to the severity of the charges.
• Henderson did not enter a plea at that time.

March 6–10, 2026

Expanded investigation

• Court records indicated police were examining all relatives connected to the case.

Investigators were also reviewing:

• The father of the surviving child
• Past domestic violence allegations involving that individual
• Possible family contacts connected to the children.

The surviving child was placed in emergency protective care.

March 10, 2026

Court proceedings Source

• Henderson returned to court in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
• The judge kept the $2 million bond in place.
• The court assigned private defense attorney Kevin Spellacy to represent Henderson in the criminal case.
• The public defender’s office continued involvement in the separate child custody proceedings regarding the surviving child.

March 11, 2026

• Initial appearance scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Source
• Location: Arraignment Room, Justice Center, 12th Floor (CP Arraignment Room JC 12FL)
• Defendant: Aliyah Henderson
• Case number: BO-26-4335BU
• Court: Cleveland Municipal Court
• The court determined that Henderson was indigent.
• Original bond continued at $2,000,000.
• Bond types permitted:
• Cash
• Surety
• Property
• Case procedure:
• No Early Disposition Conference scheduled.
• At the request of the State, the case will be presented directly to a grand jury.

Status of the investigation (current)

• The cause and manner of death of the two girls have not yet been publicly released by the medical examiner.
• Investigators have indicated the case remains active and that certain evidence cannot yet be disclosed.
• Henderson remains jailed while the case proceeds through the court system.

Cleveland police hold press conference after bodies of 2 young girls found in suitcases

Cleveland police officials said that a person of interest has been taken into custody in the case of two young girls who were found dead in suitcases.