WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ind. — A woman who admitted disposing of her son’s body by helping a mother throw away a suitcase in southern Indiana learned her sentence this week.
Dawn Coleman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, according to court documents filed in Washington County.
Coleman, 41, of Shreveport, Louisiana, is also charged with aiding, inducing or causing murder; neglect of a dependent resulting in death; and obstruction of justice. The charges were dismissed.
D.C. Circuit Judge Larry Medlock accepted Coleman’s plea and sentenced Coleman to 30 years in prison, with five years suspended.
The infamous case came to light in April 2022, when a mushroom hunter in Washington County discovered a suitcase containing the remains of a young boy. The hunter then called 911 and began a lengthy investigation.
Police released a photo of a suitcase in Las Vegas where the body was found and it was shared widely in hopes of finding the person responsible for the then-unidentified boy’s death.
The boy was buried in Washington County in June 2022, with community members calling him an “angel.” In October 2022, Indiana State Police identified “Angel” as 5-year-old Cairo Ammar Jordan. A local memorial company had his name engraved on the headstone at Crown Hill Cemetery in Salem.
On October 19, 2022, police arrested Coleman in San Francisco. Cairo’s mother, Dejaune Ludie Anderson, remains at large.
According to court documents, Cairo was killed at a home in Louisville, Kentucky. Coleman said she walked into a bedroom and saw Anderson on top of him. She said he was dead and she helped Anderson put his body into a trash bag and put it in a trunk.
They took the suitcase to Washington County and dumped it there containing Cairo’s remains.
An autopsy found he died of an “electrolyte imbalance,” likely due to “viral gastroenteritis.”
According to court documents, Anderson believed her son was a demon who needed to be killed or exorcised. In social media posts, she writes about protection spells, curses and hexes.
After her arrest, Coleman told investigators she had known Anderson for about a year and traveled extensively with her and her son. Key evidence of Coleman’s involvement were fingerprints taken from a black plastic bag found inside the suitcase.
The warrant for Anderson’s arrest remains active.
“We are committed to pursuing this case to the end,” said Washington County Prosecutor Tara Hunter. “There will be no closure for the law enforcement officers and agencies involved in this tragic case until we ensure that Cairo’s mother is held accountable for her actions. “This conviction is just the first step in bringing justice to Cairo. “