Dejuane Anderson: California mom arrested nearly 2 years after 5-year-old son found dead in suitcase

Dejuane Anderson: California mom arrested nearly 2 years after 5-year-old son found dead in suitcase
Dejaune Ludie Anderson and Dawn Elaine Coleman arrested in connection to the death of Cairo Ammar Jordan (Indiana State Police)

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ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA: The mother of Cairo Ammar Jordan, whose body was discovered in a suitcase in Washington County in 2022, has been apprehended in California.

Indiana State Police declared Dejaune Anderson's arrest on Thursday, announcing that she was found in a suburb of Los Angeles

A concerned citizen provided information to an ISP detective, enabling the location of Anderson in California, which ultimately led to her arrest as she attempted to board a train.

She is currently facing charges of homicide, neglect of a dependent leading to death, and obstruction of justice as per Fox5 Atlanta

Police discovered body of deceased 5-year-old boy inside the suitcase

On the evening of Saturday, April 16, 2022, an individual was foraging for mushrooms in the wooded area off Holder Road in southeast Washington County, Indiana. 

While searching, the individual came across a suitcase adorned with an image depicting the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, typically found at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip.

The suitcase where the child Cairo Ammar Jordan's boy was stuffed (Indiana State Police)
The suitcase where the child was stuffed (Indiana State Police)

Upon approaching the suitcase, the mushroom hunter opened it to discover a pillow and a sealed black trash bag inside. Inside the sealed black trash bag, the body of the boy was found.

Following this discovery, state police responded to the scene, and both the suitcase and its contents were transported to the Washington County, Indiana Coroner's office.

Forensic experts from the Indiana State Police collected fingerprints at the scene.

Investigators reported successfully obtaining prints from two different individuals on both the suitcase and the trash bag.

Alternatively, the absence of a missing person report for Jordan impeded the investigation's progress, resulting in its prolonged duration over several months.

What did the autopsy of 5-year-old report?

According to state police reports in May 2022, an autopsy disclosed that the boy's death was attributed to an electrolyte imbalance, potentially induced by gastroenteritis, resulting in dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea.

Investigators concluded that the boy had passed away approximately a week before his body was found.

In June, after a memorial service where a police chaplain referred to the child, who was still unidentified at the time, as an "unknown angel," he was buried at a cemetery in Salem, Indiana, approximately 35 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky.

Cairo Ammar Jordan (Family handout)
Investigators concluded that the boy, Cairo Ammar Jordan had passed away approximately a week before his body was found(Family handout)

Woman who linked to death of Cairo Jordan was arrested

Dawn Elaine Coleman, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, has been sentenced to decades in prison for her involvement in Cairo Jordan's death.

In October 2022, Coleman was arrested in California after authorities identified Cairo Jordan and connected her to his death.

Police revealed that Coleman and Jordan's mother, Anderson, had been acquainted for about a year and had traveled extensively together with Cairo Jordan. The trio had been living in a home in Louisville.

During the investigation, detectives found fingerprints belonging to both Coleman and Anderson on the black plastic bags that contained Cairo Jordan's body within the suitcase.

According to police statements, Coleman confessed to entering a bedroom in their shared Louisville residence, where she found Anderson lying on top of Cairo, who was face down on the bed.

Coleman informed authorities that upon her arrival, Anderson commented that "it was already done," and then asked for Coleman's help in placing Cairo into a trash bag and then into the suitcase.

After these events, they transported Cairo Jordan's remains to a wooded area in Washington County, located outside of Pekin, where they disposed of the suitcase.

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