Cleveland mother accused in daughters’ deaths returns to court as investigation continues in South Collinwood

Case moves from municipal court to felony docket

A 28-year-old Cleveland woman charged with killing her two daughters is scheduled to appear in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court as prosecutors move the case deeper into the felony process. The court appearance follows earlier proceedings in Cleveland Municipal Court, where bond was set at $2 million.

The defendant, Aliyah Henderson, faces two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of two girls identified as Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has said the children would have been 8 and 10 years old. Authorities have not publicly released the causes of death.

What investigators have said about the discovery

Investigators have said the children’s remains were found in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood after a dog walker alerted police to a suitcase. Authorities later recovered a second suitcase in the same area. Reports have described the suitcases as partially buried in shallow graves near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue.

The case has drawn heightened scrutiny because of the circumstances of the discovery and because investigators have said another child was located during a search of a home connected to the investigation. Police have described that child as apparently healthy and said the child was placed with Cuyahoga County child welfare authorities.

Bond hearing and defense position

During a bond hearing held in early March, the judge ordered Henderson held on a $2 million bond. In court, Henderson said little. Prosecutors stated they had found no prior criminal record for her. A public defender told the court she had a place to live and had been seeking employment.

The case’s move to Common Pleas Court is a standard step for serious felony charges, where the court will address issues that can include counsel designation, scheduling, and the next procedural milestones. No trial date has been publicly set in the materials released about the case.

Family statements and unanswered questions

Mila’s father, DeShaun Chatman, has publicly described his efforts to locate his daughter in the years before authorities notified him of her death. He has said he sought emergency custody and attempted to find her through child welfare channels but did not know where she was living.

Key investigative questions remain unresolved in public disclosures, including:

• the precise timeline of the children’s deaths and when their remains were placed at the site;
• how investigators tied the suspect to the suitcases and burial location;
• the medical examiner’s final determinations on cause and manner of death;
• the status and longer-term placement plan for the third child identified by authorities.

Henderson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The next court session is expected to focus on early case management as the prosecution and defense prepare for subsequent hearings and the release of additional evidence through the judicial process.