SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- A woman police say murdered her 5-year-old son and dumped his body in a suitcase in southern Indiana is on the run.
Indiana State Police say 37-year-old Dejaune Ludie Anderson is charged with murder in the case. Police believe she is on the run somewhere in California.
Anderson is the mother of 5-year-old Cairo Jordan, according to police. He was found stuffed into a suitcase in a rural Washington County, Ind. on April 16. Police say he would have turned six on October 24.
According to court documents, fingerprints on the trash bag that Jordan was wrapped in matched Anderson's. A second match was found on the trash bag to Dawn Elaine Coleman.
On October 14th, two warrants were issued for Anderson and Coleman. Detectives traveled to California to make arrests of both women but were only able to find Coleman. Coleman faces charges of neglect and obstruction of justice. Police do not believe Coleman is related to Cairo Jordan.
The probable cause affidavit says cell phones for both Anderson and Coleman were tracked to the area the boy was found on April 14th, two days before the suitcase was discovered. The documents go on to say that Anderson had been making social media posts for months referring to the child as a "demon."
Police say Dejuane Ludie Anderson murdered her son and stuffed him in a suitcase.
On April 12th, Anderson tweeted "I have survived the death attacks from my 5-year-old throughout the 5 years he has been alive. I have been able to weaken his powers through our blood. I have his real name and he is 100 years old. Need assistance."
On April 15th, the day before Jordan's body was discovered, Anderson posted on Facebook, "This is a whole demon in a child body. Why you think she need a cigarette?!! Losing energy huh! 64 years old in a child body. Was full of gifts and magickal (sic) rites stronger than many of you because your frequency not high enough. Start asking spirit to reveal these things to you hiding behind a body. "
Police say Riverlink cameras captured Anderson's car driving south on the I-65 bridge from Indiana into Kentucky on the same day the suitcase was discovered.
Anderson remains on the run and authorities believe she is in California. She is not from the Kentuckiana area and police say the trio was "passing through" when Cairo's body was dumped. Detectives describe Anderson as 5'5", 135 pounds and from Atlanta.
Cairo was never reported as missing, according to police.
The toxicology report showed no foreign substances in his system, and he had no significant external injuries, according to ISP Sgt. Carey Huls. He was found clean and clothed, and there is no indication he was placed in the suitcase alive.
A month after he was found, ISP said Jordan likely died from an electrolyte imbalance, most likely due vomiting and diarrhea, leading to dehydration.
"No matter what progress is made, no matter what happens. We’re still dealing with the tragic death of a young child…but the wheels of justice do turn," said Huls at a press conference Wednesday.
Dawn Elaine Coleman (booking photo provided by Indiana State Police).
Court documents show Anderson was arrested in Louisville on March 31, 2022 on a 2nd degree robbery charge. She is accused of trying to steal merchandise from Oxmoor Mall and striking a security guard. Anderson was released on her own recognizance on April 11th but never showed up for her court appearances. A warrant was issued for her arrest in May.
Mark McDonald, a medical director for Norton Children's Hospital, said dying from dehydration is uncommon for a young child, unless in some type of neglect. He said it could also take several days to die from dehydration, depending on fluid intake.
Indiana State Police say none of the "thousands" of tips that came into to authorities led to the latest developments.
Below is a timeline of events in the case leading up to Tuesday's new details:
- April 16: Police said a man who was mushroom-hunting found the body of a boy in a wooded secluded area in Washington County that evening about 80 feet off a rural road near New Pekin, Indiana.
- April 17: Police released information in the case and asked for help identifying the child or his parents.
- April 18: Indiana State Police announced a dedicated tip line for information: 1-888-437-6432.
- April 19: Police released that the 5-year-old's body was found inside a suitcase, hoping someone would recognize it. The suitcase was in good condition with Las Vegas logos wrapped around it.
- April 24: People living in New Pekin came together for a vigil to show their support, hoping and praying his case will be solved.
- May 28: Police said the child died from an electrolyte imbalance, most likely due vomiting and diarrhea, leading to dehydration. Police said he was found clean and clothed, and there was no indication he was placed in the suitcase alive.
- June 1: Donations helped pay for this funeral at Crown Hill Cemetery, where the child was buried.
- October 26: ISP announces arrest and suspect in the case.
This story may be updated.
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- ISP says search for identity of 5-year-old boy found in suitcase is 'getting bigger by the day'
- ISP: Body of 5-year-old boy was found in suitcase in rural Washington County
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