A Cleveland father has spoken of his five-year search for his daughter, after investigators confirmed her remains were among two found buried in shallow graves earlier this week.
DeShaun Chatman revealed on Thursday that police informed him late on Wednesday night that the body of Mila Chatman, who would have been eight years old, was recovered from a field near Ginn Academy in the South Collinwood neighbourhood. The two children had been interred within suitcases.
Mr Chatman recounted his repeated attempts to locate Mila, stating he had sought emergency custody five times and contacted a child welfare agency. These efforts proved fruitless, however, as he was unaware of their living arrangements. Authorities have yet to publicly disclose the identities of either 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 Thursday they expected to charge a 28-year-old woman in the investigation. Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz said police detained the woman Wednesday 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 Monday. 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.
