Anderson
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Indiana State Police have identified the 5-year-old boy found in a suitcase in rural Washington County on April 16 and made one arrest in the case, as they continue to search for the boy’s mother on a warrant for murder.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, the child was identified as Cairo Ammar Jordan, 5, Atlanta, Georgia. Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls said the child would have turned 6 this past Monday.
Thousands of tips have come in about the case, although none had related to the case, Huls said. The identification was made through a variety of investigative techniques including advanced DNA technology, including help by federal agencies.
On Oct. 14, the Washington County Circuit Court issued felony arrest warrants for Dawn Elaine Coleman, 40, of Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dejaune Ludie Anderson, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, for charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony, and obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony. Investigators identified Anderson as the biological mother of the deceased child.
As a result of information gathered during their investigation, ISP Detective Matt Busick and ISP Detective Chris Tucker traveled to San Francisco. On Oct. 19, Busick located and arrested Coleman with the assistance of the San Francisco Police Department. Continuing with information collected as part of the investigation, both detectives traveled to the Los Angeles metro area but were unsuccessful in locating Anderson, Huls said.
Indiana State Police are continuing an effort to locate Anderson on a warrant for murder, Huls said. Anderson has not been located but is believed to have been in Los Angeles, Houston, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The family members of the boy have been notified in Atlanta, Georgia, Huls said. Authorities with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations assisted in locating and contacting Cairo’s biological father after investigators were able to confirm the child was Cairo, state police said.
A local mushroom hunter located Jordan in a distinctive Las Vegas-themed hard-shell suitcase approximately 80 feet off Holder Road in Washington County in April. Holder Road is a dead-end road situated in an isolated area of southeast Washington County in southern Indiana.
No family members, witnesses, or acquaintances came forward to identify the boy or provide any information, Huls said. Leads from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also proved unsuccessful, as well as tips called in by the general public. Information gathered from the autopsy shed little light on the investigation and listed the cause of death as “electrolyte imbalance,” likely caused by a “viral gastroenteritis.”
Huls noted the Washington County community “adopted” the child as its own, conducted a candlelight vigil and conducted a funeral as the investigation continued.
The Indiana State Police are requesting the public’s assistance in locating Anderson. She is described as a Black female, 5 feet 5 inches tall, approximately 135 pounds. She had short, dark brown hair in her last known photo but she is known to often wear wigs or hair extensions.
Her last known location was the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, however, she is known to travel and has recently been to San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Houston, Texas. Anyone who observes or has current location information on Dejaune Anderson’s is asked to contact the local police department with jurisdiction at that location.
