Cleveland mother Aliyah Henderson faces aggravated murder charges after two daughters found buried in suitcases

Case enters court system as investigators continue reviewing records and family contacts

A 28-year-old Cleveland woman, Aliyah Henderson, is being held on a $2 million bond after being charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of two young girls whose bodies were found buried in suitcases. The victims were identified as 8-year-old Mila Chatman and 10-year-old Amor Wilson.

The investigation became public in early March 2026, after a dog walker reported seeing one of the suitcases in a Cleveland neighborhood. Authorities later recovered both suitcases from shallow graves. Investigators have not publicly detailed the causes and manners of death; examinations have been underway at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Henderson is accused of killing the two girls and burying their bodies in suitcases in shallow graves, authorities have said.

Charges, bond and what is known about the timeline so far

Henderson’s initial court proceedings began March 6, 2026, when a judge set bond at $2 million. She has been charged with aggravated murder; in public reporting of the case, additional allegations have included child endangering at the arrest-booking stage, though the aggravated-murder counts are the central charges confirmed in court coverage. Prosecutors said during bond proceedings they found no prior criminal record for Henderson.

The children were formally identified through investigative work that included DNA relationship testing. Authorities also said a third child was located during a related search and was placed with child welfare authorities. Investigators have not released further information about that child’s status beyond the placement.

Family court and custody efforts now part of the public record

Mila Chatman’s father, DeShaun Chatman, has publicly described efforts to gain custody and locate his daughter in the years preceding the girls’ deaths. He has said he had not seen Mila for roughly five years and pursued emergency custody but was unable to find where she was living. He has also said he learned of Mila’s death after investigators notified him in early March 2026.

Separate reporting on the case has indicated police and juvenile-court records are being examined as investigators work to reconstruct the girls’ living situation and determine what contacts, complaints or court actions may have occurred prior to the homicides. Authorities have described the broader inquiry as ongoing.

What happens next

• Further hearings will determine Henderson’s plea, future bond status and a schedule for pretrial proceedings.

• Pending autopsy and investigative findings are expected to clarify cause and manner of death and may influence additional charging decisions.

• Investigators are continuing to review family and court records as part of the larger case timeline.

Henderson remains jailed as the case moves through Cuyahoga County’s courts and investigators continue to develop the factual record behind the deaths of Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson.