UPDATE (November 22, 2022):
WASHINGTON CO., Ind. (ADAMS) – A suspect charged in connection with the death of a little boy whose body was found inside a suitcase is now booked into an Indiana jail.
The body of five-year-old Cairo Jordan of Atlanta was found inside a piece of luggage back in April. Dawn Coleman, who is charged in connection with the case, was arrested in San Francisco last month and booked into a southern Indiana jail early yesterday.
Authorities are still searching for the little boy’s mother who’s also charged in connection with his death.
Read more here
UPDATE (October 27, 2022):
SELLERSBURG, Ind. (ADAMS) – Indiana police have identified a boy who was found dead inside a suitcase and named two suspects in the case, including the boy’s mother.
The body of five-year-old Cairo Jordan was discovered inside a suitcase in a wooded area in Washington County, northwest of Louisville, in April.
An autopsy showed no signs of physical trauma. The boy died of an electrolyte imbalance caused by a severe stomach bug. The boy’s mother Dejuane Anderson is being sought on murder and other charges. Another woman, Dawn Coleman of Louisiana, was arrested on charges of neglect and obstruction of justice.
Police say the women and child were “passing through the area” before the boy was found dead. The mother had been arrested a few weeks earlier in Louisville.
Indiana State Police released the following:
Wednesday, October 26, 2022: Detectives with the Indiana State Police (ISP) in Sellersburg have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of the unidentified boy found inside a suitcase in rural Washington County, Indiana, in April of this year.
When ISP detectives originally began the case, there was little information available to assist in the investigation. A local mushroom hunter located the child in a distinctive Las Vegas-themed hard-shell suitcase approximately 80 feet off Holder Road. Holder Road is a dead-end road situated in an isolated area of southeast Washington County in southern Indiana. No family members, witnesses, or acquaintances came forward to identify the boy or provide any information. Leads from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also proved unsuccessful, as well as tips called in by the general public. Information gathered from the autopsy shed little light on the investigation and listed the cause of death as “electrolyte imbalance,” likely caused by a “viral gastroenteritis.”
From the onset of the investigation, ISP crime scene technicians, detectives, and ISP Laboratory personnel utilized any physical evidence collected in hopes of determining and locating a suspect in the crime. No crime scene investigation technologies were spared in this investigation, including recent advanced technologies only available through federal and outside agencies.
Detectives and ISP criminal intelligence analysts also utilized a variety of electronic, digital communication, and social media forensic techniques in the course of their investigation.
As a result of the investigation and physical evidence gathered at the scene, detectives identified two suspects in the case. Detectives also identified the deceased child.
On October 14, 2022, the Washington County Circuit Court issued felony arrest warrants for Dawn Elaine Coleman, 40, of Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dejaune Ludie Anderson, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, for charges of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, a Level 1 Felony, and Obstruction of Justice, a Level 6 Felony. Additionally, investigators identified Dejaune Anderson as the biological mother of the deceased child.
As a result of information gathered during their investigation, ISP Detective Matt Busick and ISP Detective Chris Tucker traveled to San Francisco, California. On October 19, 2022, Detective Matt Busick located and arrested Dawn Coleman with the assistance of the San Francisco Police Department. Continuing with information collected as part of the investigation, both detectives traveled to the Los Angeles, California, metro area but were unsuccessful in locating Dejaune Anderson.
Based on information gathered during Detective Busick’s continuing investigation, on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the Washington County Circuit Court issued an arrest warrant for Dejaune Ludie Anderson for the charge of Murder.
Dejuane Ludie Anderson (mother of deceased)
Investigators believe the Georgia BMV Photo (Smiling) is the most accurate, although not the most recent. The mug shot photo (yellow shirt) is courtesy of the Louisville, Kentucky Metro Corrections Department.
Dejaune Ludie Anderson is currently at large, and her location is unknown. The Indiana State Police request the public’s assistance in locating Dejaune Anderson. She is described as a Black Female, 5-05, approximately 135 pounds. She had short, dark brown hair in her last known photo, but she is known to often wear wigs or hair extensions. Her last known location was the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, California; however, she is known to travel and has recently been to San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Houston, Texas. Anyone who observes or has current location information on Dejaune Anderson’s is asked to contact the local police department with jurisdiction at that location.
At this time, we can identify the child. He was five-year-old Cairo Ammar Jordan from Atlanta, Georgia. Cairo would have turned six on Monday, October 24, 2022. Authorities with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations assisted in locating and contacting Cairo’s biological father after investigators were able to confirm the child was Cairo.
UPDATE (June 3, 2022):
SALEM, Ind. (ADAMS) – Authorities have laid an unidentified boy found in a suitcase in southern Indiana to rest. Investigators in Washington County still do not know who the boy is.
He was found in a suitcase in the woods in Washington County back in April.
Doctors believe the boy was about five-years-old and say he’d been dead a week when he was found.
Read more here
(UPDATE: Friday, May 27, 2022):
Detectives and investigators with the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg received the official autopsy and toxicology report regarding the unidentified child found in a suitcase in rural Washington County on April 16th, 2022.
The official autopsy report attributes the child’s death to “electrolyte imbalance”. The report also states the imbalance was likely from “a viral gastroenteritis” and says the blood toxicology was “negative”. The report further states there was an “absence of significant traumatic injuries”, advising there was “no anatomical cause of death”.
After the autopsy results were released, detectives also stated they have no evidence which leads them to believe the child was alive when placed into the suitcase, and that the child was clothed and clean. Although the autopsy report states the child is of unknown age, investigators still believe the boy was approximately five years old at the time of his death.
Investigators continue to utilize a variety of investigative techniques and have worked with several outside agencies during this investigation. Although numerous tips have been called into the nationwide tip line, detectives have not been able to identify the boy. Investigators are not ruling out the possibility that the child could be from out of state or even out of the country.
The unidentified child is described as a young, black male approximately five years old. The child is approximately four feet tall and has a slim build and a short haircut. The child’s body was found inside a closed hard case suitcase with a distinctive Las Vegas design on its front and back. The suitcase was located approximately 80 feet off Holder Road in a heavily wooded area of eastern Washington County which is located in southern Indiana.
If anyone has information regarding this case, they are encouraged to call the nationwide toll-free tip line at 1-888-437-6432.
UPDATE (April 20, 2022):
SELLERSBURG, Ind. (ADAMS) – Police are still looking for the public’s help identifying a little boy found dead in Washington County. His body was discovered by mushroom hunters on Saturday.
Indiana State Police released a new detail on Tuesday- that the boy was found inside of a closed hard case suitcase with a Las Vegas design on the front and back of it. The child is described as a Black male, around four feet tall with a slim build, approximately five-years-old. Anyone with information is asked to call a toll-free hotline set up by police: 1-888-437-6432.
The Indiana State Police released the following:
Detectives with the Indiana State Police continue to ask for the public’s help in identifying a deceased child located in rural Washington County on Saturday.
A toll-free tip line was established on Monday, and Investigators have received approximately 200 calls from the public. Unfortunately, none of those calls have led to the identification of the deceased child. Many of those calls related to information of children already documented as missing. Investigators are thankful for all the tips that are coming in but ask that the public does not send information on children already documented as missing at this time. Investigators say those cases are already being looked in to.
An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday; however, no information as to the cause of death was determined. Results of the toxicology report are still pending, and investigators are hopeful that information will shed more light on the cause of death.
Based on information provided by the autopsy, Investigators believe the child is approximately 5 years old. He is described as a black male, approximately four feet tall, with a slender build and short haircut.
Investigators are now releasing the location where the child was located as the 7000 block of East Holder Road in Washington County. Tragically, the child was located inside a closed hard case suitcase. The suitcase has a distinctive Las Vegas design on its front and back and a photo is attached to this news release. Investigators hope this image will lead to more specific tips and the identification of the child.
Anyone with information is asked to call the toll-free number established for this case: 1-888-437-6432.
ORIGINAL STORY:
SELLERSBURG, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Indiana State Police say their number one priority is to find out who the young boy found dead in the southern Indiana woods is.
Investigators yesterday said the boy, who is Black and believed to be between five and eight years old, doesn’t match any of the missing children from Indiana.
Troopers say there’s a chance the boy is from out of state. Folks who live near Sellersburg, in Washington County, found the boy’s body last week. There’s no word how the boy died, but investigators think he died sometime in the past week.
Indiana State Police released the following:
The Indiana State Police in Sellersburg are requesting the public’s assistance in a death investigation that began on Saturday, April 16, 2022.
Around 7:30 Saturday evening, while mushroom hunting, an area resident found the body of a black male child near a roadway in a heavily wooded area of eastern Washington County. The resident immediately called 911 and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department responded. Detectives with the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg were then called to investigate.
At this time in the investigation, detectives need the public’s help in identifying the child. He is described as being a young, black male between the ages of five years old and eight years old. The child is approximately four feet tall and has a slim build and a short haircut. Investigators believe the child’s death occurred sometime within the last week.
Investigators have not released a time or cause of death as an autopsy is pending.
If anyone has information that could help in the identification of this child, please call Detective Matt Busick with the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg at 1-812-248-4374 or 1-800-872-6743.
