INDIANA — For nearly two years, Indiana State Police (ISP) have had an arrest warrant and searched for Dejaune Anderson. Anderson is accused of murdering her son, Cairo Jordan, and putting the 5-year-old’s body in a suitcase.

What You Need To Know

  • Dejaune Anderson, the mother of Cairo Jordan, who was found dead in a suitcase, has been arrested

  • A tip led to her being arrested by U.S. Marshals in Southern California

  • Dawn Coleman was already convicted and is in jail for her role in the death of the 5-year-old

  • Cairo Jordan's body was discovered in April 2022. It's taken almost two years to find and arrest Anderson

ISP announced Friday, a tip from a citizen, led to the arrest of Anderson by U.S. Marshals in Arcadia, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.

This Georgia DMV photo provided by the Indiana State Police shows Dejaune Anderson. Police have been searching almost two years to arrest and charge Anderson with her son's murder (Georgia DMV/Indiana State Police via AP)

Jordan’s body was discovered by a mushroom hunter in Washington County, Indiana on April 16, 2022. The little boy’s identity was a mystery for almost six months. Indiana police pulled two sets of fingerprints from the suitcase and they were traced to two suspects, including Jordan’s mother, Anderson.

This suitcase was found in the woods by a mushroom farmer in New Pekin, Indiana. The body of 5-year-old Cairo Jordan was inside. (Indiana State Police)

The other suspect, Dawn Coleman from Shreveport, Louisiana, was arrested in California on Oct. 14. She was sentenced Nov. 21, 2023 to 30 years with five years suspended to probation. Coleman entered a plea agreement to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

In court documents, Coleman admitted to walking into a bedroom and saw Anderson lying on top of Jordan, who was face down on the bed with his face in the mattress. Coleman told police “it was already done” when she walked in. She said Anderson asked her to help put Jordan in a trash bag and then into the suitcase. The two then drove to an area outside of New Pekin, Indiana, where they dumped the suitcase in a wooded area.

The ISP investigation revealed Coleman, Jordan and Anderson stayed together in Louisville. Anderson was arrested by Louisville Metro Police for robbery weeks before Jordan went missing, ISP Sgt. Carey Huls said in Oct. 2022.  

In a probable cause affidavit filed in Washington County, Indiana, police revealed Facebook messages sent from Anderson’s account from Dec. 2021 through shortly after Jordan’s death pertaining to “reversal spells, exorcism, and Hex/Curse.” Many times, Anderson refers to her child as a “demon.”

On March 18, 2022, Anderson allegedly posted: “Can’t wait to tell this story. About the exorcism. A book about living with a demonic child. And a podcast.”

Anderson got out of custody in Louisville on bail, and a bench warrant was issued for her failure to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 25, 2022. The day Cairo Jordan was found, a vehicle associated with Anderson was spotted on a RiverLink plate camera traveling from southern Indiana to Louisville just after 8 p.m.

In Nov. 2023, prosecutors said Anderson would be charged with murder once she was found and arrested.

Washington County Prosecutor Tara Hunt said in Nov. 2023, “We are committed to following this case through until the end,” said Hunt. “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. This conviction is only the first step in obtaining justice for Cairo.”

Anderson is being held at an LAPD detention facility in Van Nuys, California.

Related Stories