Police in Cleveland, Ohio, are asking the public for tips after two young Black girls were found dead inside separate suitcases buried in shallow graves on Monday.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said during a news conference that the girls, believed to be between the ages of 8 and 13 and 10 and 14, were found Monday evening.
The discovery was made Monday evening after a man walking his dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue, in a field near Ginn Academy, found a partially buried suitcase and called police.
Police responded and located a shallow grave and found a deceased individual in a suitcase. After canvassing the area, police found a second shallow grave and another suitcase containing a second individual.
The man who discovered one of the suitcases told Fox 8 that his dog ran toward a fence near a playground where the partially buried suitcase was found. He said he called police after unzipping the suitcase and seeing a head.
The girls have not been identified, and authorities have not determined a cause of death.
There are no active missing persons reports in Cleveland matching the victims, according to police, and it was unclear how long the girls had been inside the suitcases.
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Todd described the discovery as a “terrible, horrific situation.”
“This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community. This is just such a tragic incident, but we are trying to develop any leads we can. That’s why we are also asking for the community’s help,” Todd said.
“We know that this didn’t just happen. We still have to develop exactly when this happened. We don’t have any indication this is a clear threat to safety,” Todd said.
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The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the bodies.
Todd said the bodies had not been dismembered.
The Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit launched a 24-hour tip line at 216-623-5464.
