CLEVELAND, OH – Police detained a person of interest for questioning Wednesday in connection with the deaths of two young girls discovered buried in suitcases in a Cleveland field, according to authorities.
Cleveland Police Sergeant Freddie Diaz confirmed the individual has not been formally arrested but was identified while officers executed a search warrant at a residence near where the bodies were recovered. Police have not disclosed what evidence led them to obtain the search warrant for that location.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner revealed Wednesday that DNA testing confirmed the two victims were half-sisters, though their identities remain unknown. Officials estimate one girl was between 8½ and 13 years old, while the other was between 10½ and 14 years old.
The grisly discovery began when a person walking their dog found one suitcase after the animal alerted to the area. The dog walker immediately contacted 911, prompting police to locate the first suitcase along with a second one nearby. Both containers were found in shallow graves in the field.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd stated that neither victim matched any local missing children reports, complicating identification efforts. The lack of missing persons reports suggests the girls may not be from the immediate Cleveland area.
Investigators are working to establish the victims’ identities and determine how long the bodies had been buried. The medical examiner’s office is conducting autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death.
The case has prompted an intensive investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies as detectives piece together the circumstances that led to the deaths of the two young half-sisters.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464. Police are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who may have information about missing children matching the age ranges of the victims.
