By Mark Scolforo and Sue Ogrocki
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND (AP) — A Cleveland father said March 5 that one of the two girls whose remains were found buried in shallow graves earlier this week was the daughter he had been trying to locate for five years.
DeShaun Chatman said investigators told him late March 4 that the body of Mila Chatman, who would have been 8 years old, was recovered from a field near Ginn Academy in the South Collinwood neighborhood. She and the other child had been buried in suitcases.
Chatman said he sought emergency custody five times and had tried to locate Mila through a child welfare agency, but those efforts were unsuccessful because he did not know where they were living. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the names of the two girls.
“It’s very much horrible,” Chatman said in an interview near the spot where the children were found. He said it turned out Mila had been living within view of the graves. He said he felt “useless — I couldn’t save my baby.”
Cleveland police said March 5 they expected to charge a 28-year-old woman in the investigation. Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz said police detained the woman the previous evening after detectives completed initial interviews and examined evidence.
The woman, whose name was not released, is considered a person of interest, Diaz said.
“We are aiming to have her charged later today. However, that’s subject to change,” he said.
Chatman said he and Mila’s mother were not married but lived together for about a year after their daughter was born. He last saw Mila in 2020, when she was 3 years old.
“Mila was happy-go-lucky, always smiling,” Chatman said. “Favorite color was pink — she swore that she was a princess. She was always happy. She was a kid’s kid.”
He said authorities have not told him how the girls died but that he expects more information to come out March 9. Earlier this week, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said she did not know how the girls died.
“We are hoping to find answers,” Todd told reporters. “This is a terrible, tragic situation.”
The children’s remains were recovered after a dog walker notified authorities.
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Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.