The heartbreaking case of two young girls found buried in suitcases in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood has taken an even more tragic turn with revelations from DeShaun Chatman, who claims to be the biological father of 8-year-old Mila Chatman. Chatman spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday, March 5, 2026, expressing overwhelming grief, anger, and frustration after the victims were identified as Mila and her half-sister, 10-year-old Amor Wilson.

“I’ve been looking for my daughter for five years,” Chatman told Cleveland 19 News and other outlets. He last saw Mila around 2020—when she was about 3 years old—after briefly co-parenting with her mother, 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson (they never married). Chatman described Mila as a “happy-go-lucky” child, his “princess” who loved the color pink and was always smiling. He alleged that Henderson moved frequently, cut off contact, and avoided him, making it impossible to locate or maintain a relationship with his daughter.

Over the ensuing years, Chatman says he repeatedly begged authorities for help: contacting Child Protective Services (CPS), filing for emergency custody through courts multiple times, and calling police for welfare checks. “I’ve been calling CPS, going to the courts, trying to get emergency custody, calling the police for welfare checks. But they denied all access,” he stated. He claims responses often cited a lack of current address for Henderson as a barrier—”they said if I didn’t have an address there was nothing they could do”—and that his efforts were repeatedly shut down despite what he described as “too many red flags.”

Detectives are now reviewing records of those old welfare-check calls and related communications Chatman made, potentially to examine what information was provided to authorities at the time, why interventions didn’t occur, and whether any systemic oversights contributed to the prolonged disappearance. No public updates as of early March 9, 2026, detail specific findings from this review or whether it has uncovered new investigative leads.

The girls’ bodies were discovered on Monday, March 2, 2026, near Saranac Playground (by Ginn Academy on East 163rd Street and Midland Avenue) after a neighbor’s dog alerted to a scent from partially buried suitcases in shallow graves. Officers confirmed one child’s remains in the first suitcase upon arrival; a second was found nearby during the search. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office used DNA relationship testing to identify the victims and confirm their half-sibling connection (announced March 5).

Aliyah Henderson was detained Wednesday evening near the scene after interviews and evidence review, then charged with two counts of aggravated murder (plus child endangering). She was arraigned Friday, March 6, in Cleveland Municipal Court, with bond set at $2 million ($1 million per count). The deaths are homicides, though exact causes await full autopsy results amid decomposition.

Chatman has cooperated with investigators, including on DNA testing to formally confirm paternity (results were anticipated soon after his March 5 interview, but no further public confirmation has emerged). He visited the discovery site to leave flowers at a growing memorial of stuffed animals, balloons, photos, and tributes, where neighbors and activists held a vigil on March 6 to honor the girls.

This case has sparked outrage over potential failures in child welfare systems, the challenges non-custodial parents face in locating children amid relocation or avoidance, and why no missing persons escalation or intervention occurred despite reported concerns. The community mourns two innocent lives lost far too soon, with calls for accountability and reform. Tips continue to be sought by Cleveland Police Homicide (216-623-5464) or Crime Stoppers (216-252-7463).

Thoughts remain with DeShaun Chatman, the extended families, and all impacted by this unimaginable tragedy.