Cleveland mom accused of killing 2 daughters, burying them in suitcases, arraigned Thursday

Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The 28-year-old Cleveland mother accused of killing her two young daughters and burying them in suitcases in a field, was arraigned in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Thursday.

Aliyah Henderson pleaded not guilty to the below charges for the deaths of her daughters — Amor Wilson, 10, and Mila Chatman, 8, who were half-sisters.

Six counts of aggravated murder
Four counts of murder
Six counts of kidnapping
Four counts of felonious assault
Three counts of child endangering
One count of tampering with evidence
Two counts of gross abuse of a corpse

Aliyah Henderson at her arraignment in Cleveland Municipal Court on March 6, 2026.(Julia Thyret | (Source: WOIO))

Judge Brian Mooney continued her bond at $2 million and set a pre-trial date of April 7.

Hundreds attended the funeral for the young girls on Wednesday at Mount Sinai Friendship United.

On March 2, a man walking his dog discovered the partially buried suitcases near E. 162nd Street and Midland Avenue in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood.

His dog detected the scent, and the man immediately called 911.

Officers found the second body nearby when they arrived.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said the victims had been there for some time.

Henderson was arrested on March 4 at a home on E. 162nd Street after officers executed a search warrant.

A six-year-old boy found inside the home appeared to be in good health and is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, said Chief Todd.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has not yet determined when and how the girls were killed.

Read the full indictment below:

Related Content