Cleveland police are hoping to “find answers” after the bodies of two girls were found stuffed inside suitcases and buried in shallow graves.
Chief Dorothy Todd said during a news conference Tuesday police received a call Monday evening to respond to an area on the east side of the city. A local had been walking their dog through a field near a school in the area.
“The caller stated they had found what appeared to be a body inside of a suitcase,” Todd told reporters.
As officers investigated the area, they found “what appeared to be a second shallow grave, and they could tell that there was a second suitcase in that location,” the chief said. Todd added that the bodies had not been dismembered.
While the girls are yet to be identified, Todd said that they were both Black and gave approximate ages. One of the girls is believed to be eight-and-a-half to 13 years old, and the other is suspected of being 10-and-a-half to 14 years old. It’s unclear whether the girls were related.
Todd said no local missing children reports have matched the girls’ descriptions, but added, “We are checking statewide as well.” The chief said federal authorities are also helping in the investigation.
Police are yet to reveal how or when the girls died, but Todd said they had been buried in the area for “some time.” No suspects have been identified in the investigation and police had no solid leads as of Tuesday afternoon.
Todd said investigators may have trouble finding video captured on cameras in the area because “a lot of cameras don’t capture historical data.”
When asked by a reporter if she’s seen a case similar to this one before, Todd said, “Not that I’m aware of.”
While police have said there’s no ongoing threat to the public, Todd said, “All residents should always be cautious of the ongoings of their neighborhoods.”
The Independent has reached out to Cleveland police for updates on the case.
“The best thing is to find answers,” Todd said. “It’s just a terrible, horrific situation.”