US Woman Arrested After 5-Year-Old Son's Body Found In Suitcase

A mother of a 5-year-old boy whose lifeless body was found inside a suitcase in Indiana two years ago has been arrested. Indiana State Police on Friday arrested Dejaune Ludie Anderson, 38, in Los Angeles. Anderson is accused of killing her son, Cairo Ammar Jordan, according to police. 

Indiana police said that an arrest warrant was issued for Anderson in October 2022 for the charges of murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and obstruction of justice. The mother avoided arrest for more than a year. 

According to a news release, last year, a detected received information from a concerned citizen that led authorities to find and arrest Anderson in Arcadia, California- a suburb of Los Angeles, while she was trying to board a train on March 14. 

CNN reported that Anderson is being held without bail. She waived extradition during an appearance Monday and will be returning to Indiana said the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, which represented her in the hearing. 

Cairo's body was found inside a suitcase which had a "distinctive Las Vegas design on its front and back". It was found by a man hunting for mushrooms in a heavily wooded area in rural Washington County, police said. 

An autopsy report determined that the child died from electrolyte imbalance, likely caused by viral gastroenteritis. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the condition is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that results in vomiting and diarrhoea, eventually leading to dehydration.