Bodies found buried inside suitcases on Cleveland’s east side have prompted a police investigation and an ongoing effort to identify two young half-sisters, officials said Wednesday. Authorities are working to determine who the girls are and how long they were in the Collinwood neighborhood before their remains were discovered.
Police said the bodies were recovered Monday in Collinwood after a tip from a dog walker. The discovery, officials said, led investigators to recover what they described as the remains of two girls believed to be close in age, though their identities were not yet confirmed publicly.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said at a Tuesday news conference that investigators were still working to understand the circumstances of the deaths. Todd said it was not clear how the girls, who were both Black, died, and that their bodies had been there for some time.
Todd said authorities were seeking answers as the investigation continues. “We are hoping to find answers,” she said. “This is a terrible, tragic situation.”
Investigators have also relied on forensic work to establish a key relationship between the two children. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office used preliminary DNA relationship testing to confirm that the two girls were half-sisters, according to a statement from the office.
The medical examiner’s office said it would release additional information as it became available. Todd also said the circumstances did not appear to match any active missing persons cases in the area at the time of her remarks, as police continued to work toward identifying the girls.