CLEVELAND — On Monday night, Cleveland police said two bodies had been found at East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue. This afternoon, they confirmed the deceased are unidentified girls, possibly between 8 and 14 years of age.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd said their bodies were found inside suitcases buried in shallow graves.
"It's a terrible, horrific situation," Todd said.
Watch the press conference:
According to Todd, both girls are Black, and one appears to be between 8.5 and 13 years old, and the other is between 10.5 and 14 years old.
At this time, there is no clear indication of the cause of death, how long the girls were there or any possible suspects, Todd said.
There are no missing children in the area who match their descriptions, said Todd.
Police are gathering information and surveillance footage from the area and establishing a 24-hour response line for any tips.
Anyone with information should call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
What a witness saw
News 5 spoke with a witness on Monday night who said that a head was visible in a suitcase. Todd said during the press conference that the bodies were not dismembered, echoing what she reached out and told News 5 earlier in the day, after our initial report quoted a witness who said he saw a head.
The witness was walking his dog when he said he found the suitcase, prompting a call to police.
"It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff, and I usually just walk, and she catch up with me and she was taking too long. So I went back and looked, and it was a suitcase that was half buried and I pulled it up and looked in it, and it was a head. Somebody's head in it," Phillip Donaldson told News 5's Scott Noll.
Donaldson said he was completely shocked and disturbed, especially since there is a school, the Ginn Academy, nearby.
"It's really sad to see something like this and I had been walking past that for at least a week—that pile of dirt for at least a week before I even just went across my mind—and I check it. Was it buried? Yeah, it was buried pretty much, you could see just the very top of it," Donaldson said.
Community reaction
The discovery of the remains sparked a different level of anger from the community because of how heinous the crimes were.
News 5 spoke with people who live and work in the area, and they said they hope there can be some measure of justice, quickly.
Watch below:
The crime scene is around the corner from where James Buchanan lives.
He’s struggling to understand how two girls could have ended up dead in the neighborhood he’s called home for nearly 30 years.
"Right around the corner from me, yeah, very much concerning,” Buchanan said. “It’s just crime everywhere. I don’t know what we’re going to do to do better, but we’ve got to do something soon.”
A News 5 crew saw police at the crime scene until about noon Tuesday, near Ginn Academy.
"My son called me this morning, telling me what was going on. And I wish it wasn’t happening at all,” said Erica Allen, whose son is a freshman at the school.
The visuals and trickle of information about the case are a chilling reminder of how deeply crime ripples across a community.
Allen’s son asked to be picked up from school early, which she did.
"I just want to keep them in a bubble,” Allen said. “But you can't do that. I'm praying for the families… hoping that they get justice and peace.”
The neighborhood where the bodies were found has many businesses, including Al’s Home Repair. Allen Harrison is the owner.
"I feel kind of messed up because it’s two young kids,” Harrison said.
Harrison also showed up at Ginn Academy to pick up his grandson early.
"He didn’t feel comfortable being in the school today,” Harrison said.
He added that with so many businesses in the area, he’s hoping they might be able to provide footage that could potentially help police.
"There’s a lot of cameras, so hopefully something like that can help,” Harrison said.
While many questions remain, everyone agreed that the young girls deserve someone fighting for them, nonstop. And they want anyone with information to do the right thing and share it with police.
"You hope police are able to piece this together and bring some closure to the families?” We asked Harrison.
“Yes. I hope so. I hope so,” he responded.
Buchanan said, "I would hope that the police find who did that and justice is restored back to the people and (their) families.”
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb released the following statement on Tuesday:
"This heinous crime, in which the bodies of two young children were abandoned, is deeply disturbing. These were children who had their entire lives ahead of them. Whoever is responsible for depriving them of their futures should be held fully accountable under the law.
Our Division of Police is pursuing every lead, carefully reviewing all available evidence, and deploying all necessary resources. They will not stop working until those responsible for this tragic and inhumane act are identified and brought to justice."
Community leaders pushing for change
East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue fall into Cleveland’s Ward 10, which is overseen by Mike Polensek.
Not only is that his ward, but he serves as the chair for the safety committee.
He told News 5 that he’s both heartbroken and angry over the news of two young girls found dead inside suitcases near Ginn Academy.
"Extremely devastating. I was there last night when they found the first one, and then I was there when they found the second one,” he said. “I still don't know right now who they are because I have not been informed. I had a meeting today at one o'clock with the safety director, who couldn't tell me anything, then they had a news conference at...1:30, didn't say much more, was not invited to that. To say the least, I'm very upset about the lack of respect not only to myself as the councilman but also as chairman of public safety. ”
He said he has lots of questions for Cleveland Police.
"Are you able to identify who these kids are? What about the cameras? Are you checking all the cameras in the neighborhood? Are you looking at the cameras that are on the school? How long were they there? Were all the cameras working in the neighborhood?”
"I have yet to know that. I've made that request last night, so hopefully these are all the things we're going to find out shortly,” Polensek said.
He added, "I want to be assured by CPD and the chief's office that no stone is left unturned, that they bring in whoever they have to bring in. There are two children that are dead. The city and the citizens have a right to know what the extent of the investigation is. I want no stone unturned. Whoever did this is demonic. ”
Polensek said the field where the two suitcases were found is a known site for illegal dumping.
"It's a very low crime area in that area but it's an area where we've experienced illegal dumping and maybe that was the attraction thinking that if I'm going to dump somebody or remains that with all the other illegal dumping, it's a constant problem in many of our older industrial areas, that they thought maybe this would never be discovered,” Polensek said. “Whoever did it is still out there. Have they done this before? If they have, and in this case, since they've done it, will they do it again? That's the big question. ”
"I am curious, with that area being a site for known illegal dumping, I mean, is that something that you're going to bring up to other council members and take care of that?” News 5 asked Polensek.
"I constantly have to get illegal debris picked up there because it's an isolated area. We get this throughout the city on dead-end streets and industrial areas, cul-de-sacs. It's an ongoing problem,” he responded.
Moving forward, Polensek said he wants large overgrown industrial areas to be combed through more frequently and thoroughly.
He also wants not only those who live in his ward, but everyone across the city to be more proactive, involved, and diligent.
New Era Cleveland’s Antoine Tolbert, also known as Chairman Fahiem, is preaching the same message as Polensek.
"It just further pushes me in the direction of empowering community. We're waiting on systems to change, to come save us, but look at what's happened. When I see repetitive cycles, I start to realize that there's something that I have to do to change, and so that's where my energy is going. That's where my energy has always been, but now it's just like confirmation,” Fahiem said.
He said change needs to happen; more protection needs to be given to Clevelanders.
"If we look at a thing from a holistic perspective in the Black and brown community, our women are unprotected, our children are unprotected, and so my focus is culture,” Fahiem said.
Fahiem said no one has the luxury of being a bystander anymore – that everyone has an important role to play.
"The frustration, the sadness, the fear, the lack of safety is like foundational in our communities, and so my message to all people is that we all have an active role to play. People that are sitting by watching this that are gonna look at this news story, are gonna be like, ‘Well, I gotta go to work tomorrow, back to my business, back to my life.’ It could be your children, it could be your nieces, your nephews, your grandbabies, so we all have an active role,” he said.
New Era Cleveland said it will continue pursuing its advocacy work in community restoration and violence prevention.
M-PAC Cleveland, an organization aimed at uplifting the community through prayer, activity, and conversation, told me it plans to hold an emergency community meeting on March 10 at 5:30 p.m. at 12403 Superior Ave.
The goal is to bring neighbors, faith leaders, mental health professionals, and community organizations together to talk about what support looks like and how to strengthen safety and healing moving forward.
"First, we want to acknowledge that situations like this impact the emotional safety of an entire neighborhood. When tragedies occur, the ripple effects show up as fear, grief, and uncertainty for families who simply want to feel safe where they live. Our hearts are with the families and residents processing this right now.
Through the People’s Office, our focus is making sure community members have space not only for prayer and healing but also for conversation around safety, prevention, and collective care. We believe community healing has to include both emotional support and organized community response.”
The investigation is ongoing, and police said there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.
