More than a year after a young boy’s body was found inside a suitcase in southern Indiana, a woman has pleaded guilty to her role in the boy’s death, while the boy’s mother remains at large.
Cairo Jordan, 5, was found on April 16, 2022, in a dense wooded area in Washington County, Indiana, northwest of Louisville. His body was packed in a unique suitcase with “Welcome to Wonderful Las Vegas” painted on the outside.
Police identified Cairo six months after he was found and claimed two women – Cairo’s mother and her friend – were responsible for his death and abandonment in the woods. The friend – Dawn Elaine Coleman, 40, of Shreveport, La. – was arrested in October and pleaded guilty this month to conspiracy to commit murder .
Details about the terms of the plea were not immediately released. Coleman’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Police are still searching for Cairo’s mother, Dejuane Ludie Anderson, 37, of Atlanta.
In April, a year after Cairo was found, Indiana State Police Sergeant Carey Hulse said the investigation into Anderson’s whereabouts was still ongoing.
“We still believe she’s out west, possibly still in (Los Angeles) and possibly in Las Vegas at some point,” Hulls said.
Anderson is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and believed to weigh about 135 pounds, according to police. Police believe she was last seen in Los Angeles, but it is understood she travels frequently. Investigators said Cairo traveled to San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas and Houston in the six months before her death.
According to Coleman’s arrest affidavit, both Anderson and Coleman made multiple social media posts before Cairo’s death in which they referred to a child as a “demon” and a “role personified.” Anderson allegedly wrote an article about writing a “book about living with demonic children.”
Fingerprints belonging to Coleman and Anderson were found on items inside the suitcase, and a cellphone owned by the women was found where Cairo’s bodies were found, police said. Additionally, RiverLink data found that a car owned by Anderson crossed a bridge between Louisville and southern Indiana on the day the body was found.
Cairo died of an electrolyte imbalance, Huls said, “most likely caused by gastroenteritis, which is colloquially known as vomiting and diarrhea. This led to dehydration.”
Two months after he was found, community members in Washington County organized a funeral and burial ceremony for Cairo. His final resting place was in Crown Hill Cemetery, with a black headstone bearing an angel and the words “deeply in love with a sweet little boy known only to God.” His full name was added after police released his identity.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 1-888-437-6432.
Contact reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.