Photo: joebelanger / iStock / Getty Images
ARCADIA (CNS) - A 38-year-old mother was taken into custody in Arcadia in connection with the death of her 5-year-old son, who was found dead in a suitcase in Indiana, police said Friday.
According to Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Drake Madison, Dejuane Anderson was taken into custody Thursday on a fugitive warrant.
Anderson had been on the run since the body of Cairo Jordan was discovered in a bright-colored suitcase on April 16, 2022, in a rural area of Washington County, Indiana.
ABC7 reported that police in Indiana announced an arrest warrant for Anderson sometime during October 2022, with Anderson wanted on suspicion of murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice.
In October 2022, 41-year-old Dawn Elaine Coleman of Shreveport, Louisana, was taken into custody in California on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the boy's death, according to Washington County jail records.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, investigators discovered that Coleman and Anderson were acquainted and stayed in a home together with the boy in Louisville.
"A probable cause affidavit states that Coleman admitted to walking into a bedroom of the home where she witnessed Anderson lying on top of the child, who was face down on the bed with his face into the mattress," sheriff's officials said in a statement. "She said Anderson asked her to help put Cairo in a trash bag and then into the suitcase."
The two then drove to a wooded area and dumped the suitcase, according to the sheriff's office.
On April 16, 2022, a man searching for mushrooms discovered the suitcase. He opened the bag, which had a "Las Vegas" imprint, and found the 5- year-old boy inside, sheriff's officials said.
Sheriff's officials said Coleman's fingerprint was identified on a black plastic bag that contained the child's body.
Coleman and Anderson had known each other for about a year and would travel extensively with the 5-year-old, authorities said.
Coleman pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
"We are committed to following this case through until the end," Washington County Prosecutor Tara Hunt said at the time. "None of the law enforcement officers and agencies involved in this sad case will find closure until we have ensured Cairo's mother is held accountable for her actions."
It was unclear when Anderson might be extradited to Washington County.