A grim discovery in a Cleveland field has left investigators searching for answers after the bodies of two young girls were found hidden inside suitcases buried in shallow graves.
The shocking find was made Monday evening, March 2, when a local dog walker stumbled upon what initially appeared to be a suspicious pile of dirt in a field near a school in the city’s East 162nd Street and Midland area.
According to Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd, officers responded to the scene around 6 p.m. after the man called authorities.
What they uncovered would quickly transform a routine call into a major homicide investigation.
Police located a suitcase buried beneath the dirt and discovered the body of a young girl inside. As investigators searched the surrounding area, they soon found what appeared to be a second shallow grave nearby. Inside another suitcase was the body of a second girl.
Both victims are believed to be juveniles between the ages of roughly 8 and 14.
Todd said during a press conference Tuesday that the victims were “two juvenile Black females.” One of the girls is estimated to be between approximately 8½ and 13 years old, while the other is believed to be between roughly 10½ and 14.
Authorities said the girls had not been dismembered, but investigators have not yet determined how they died.
“At this time, there are no clear indicators of the cause of death of the two young females,” Todd said.
Officials also believe the suitcases had been buried in the field for some time, though investigators have not yet determined exactly how long.
“It’s not just something that was recent,” Todd noted.
The disturbing discovery was made by local resident Phillip Donaldson, who said his dog alerted him to the unusual mound of dirt.
Donaldson told local outlet WEWS-TV that his dog began sniffing at the pile and would not move away, prompting him to investigate further.
“It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff … and she was taking too long,” Donaldson said.
When he went closer to see what had caught the dog’s attention, he noticed a suitcase partially buried beneath the dirt.
“So I went back and looked, and it was a suitcase that was half-buried,” he said.
Donaldson said he pulled the suitcase up and looked inside.
“It was a head,” he recalled. “Somebody’s head in it.”
Authorities immediately secured the scene and launched an investigation.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed through preliminary DNA relationship testing that the two victims were related. Officials said the girls were half-siblings.
Despite the genetic link, investigators have not yet been able to identify either of the victims.
“At this time, neither decedent has been positively identified,” Chris Harris, a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office, said in a statement.
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing.
The lack of identification has further deepened the mystery surrounding the case. According to Todd, police have not yet located any missing persons reports in the area that appear to match the two girls.
Here’s a patch for the Cleveland Metroparks Police, worn by an officer during the RNC, which brought thousands of law-enforcement officers to Milwaukee.
The discovery has shaken both investigators and the surrounding community.
“This is a terrible, horrific situation,” Todd said during Tuesday’s press conference.
She described the case as a top priority for the department and acknowledged the emotional toll the investigation is already taking.
“This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community, and this is just such a tragic incident,” Todd said.
Police are now asking the public for help in identifying the victims or providing any information that might help solve the case.
Authorities have established a 24-hour response line for tips. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
