A person of interest is in custody after two young girls were found dead earlier this week, according to Cleveland Police Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz.
Diaz said detectives executed a search warrant in the area of East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue.
"As you can imagine, all of our resources, every possible lead that we have been receiving, every possible agency that we're able to work with are working to arrest those responsible, person or person(s) that are responsible for this crime," Diaz said.
Not many details were shared by Cleveland Police about the search warrant, but News 5 crews could see trash cans being searched, law enforcement going in and out of a home, and even a small child being walked out of the home by an officer.
Further details as to what was searched and collected could not be disclosed, according to Cleveland Police.
"Everything that is part of this investigation, part of that search warrant is being looked at and we'll continue to look at that," Diaz said.
Whether it was a tip that alerted officers to this location was not revealed on Wednesday.
"The homicide unit has spared no expense in terms of what they've committed to this investigation and they're working really hard to bring justice to these young girls," Diaz said.
Diaz said the search warrant is what led police to a person of interest.
"This is a significant break in this case. We’re hoping that this person that we have detained would eventually lead us to an arrest and, of course, a charge," Diaz said. "This obviously is difficult in terms of the ages of the victims and it’s no secret that it touches our hearts. Our officers are human just like everyone else. They’re parents, they’re grandparents and it affects them as well. It goes to say they’re committed to resolving this as quickly as possible."
News 5's Kaylee Olivas asked whether the person of interest is related to the two young girls, but Diaz said he could not confirm that.
Although a person of interest has been detained, that does not mean an arrest has been made.
As of early Thursday morning, neither a charge nor an arrest has been shared publicly.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Wednesday that the two young girls are related.
Preliminary DNA testing by the medical examiner's office determined that the sisters are half-siblings, the ME said.
At this time, the identities of the girls remain unknown, and the city council is asking the public for help identifying them.
Councilman Mike Polensek, who represents Ward 10, where the girls were found, asks that school officials, youth program leaders and community members consider whether they know two girls who match their description and have not been seen in some time.
"They couldn't tell me how long they were there because of the weather because let's face it, it's been cold, and so there was some decomposition but not had they been there a very long time," Polensek said on Wednesday.
According to Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd, both girls are Black, and one appears to be between 8-and-a-half and 13 years old, and the other is between 10-and-a-half and 14 years old.
The public is encouraged to share this information widely to assist investigators.
"In this neighborhood you don't kill kids. We want justice. We want justice for those children," Polensek said during a South Collinwood residential meeting Wednesday night.
News 5 returned to the site off of East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue on Wednesday. Items typically found memorializing the victims were absent, their loss not yet realized by those who knew them.
We were setting up for our 5 pm live sot on the 2 girls found buried in suitcases when Cleveland SWAT converged on a nearby home. pic.twitter.com/qU7RlgE3rl
— John Kosich (@KosichJohn) March 4, 2026
"It's disheartening," said Brigette Evans of the coldness of the site. "There's not an even gruesome enough word to describe how it feels. I am a mother; this is so disturbing."
What happened
On Monday night, a man walking his dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue found a suitcase with human remains inside.
RELATED: Bodies found on East Side are 2 unidentified girls
Cleveland Police responded to the scene and determined a young girl was inside the suitcase, which was buried in a shallow grave. While collecting evidence, a second shallow grave was found with the other girl inside a suitcase.
On Tuesday, Cleveland Police provided an update during a press conference:
"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 on Tuesday.
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 have established a 24-hour response line for any tips.
Anyone with information should call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
The investigation is ongoing, and police said there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.
