WASHINGTON COUNTY, INDIANA, Ind. — The woman charged in the death of a boy, whose body was found in a suitcase in southern Indiana, will serve 25 years in prison.
Dawn Coleman, who is from Louisiana, was charged with aiding, inducing or causing murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and obstruction of justice.
She pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 years with five years of the sentence suspended.
Judge Larry Medlock was emotional as he spoke to Coleman during her sentencing.
"You packaged Cairo like trash," he said. "He was an innocent little boy who wanted to be loved."
Prosecutors say Coleman helped 37-year-old DeJaune Ludie Anderson, of Atlanta, dispose of the body of Anderson's 5-year-old son, Cairo Jordan, in April 2022.
As part of the plea agreement, Coleman would have to testify against Anderson in any criminal case related to the death of Jordan.
Documents say Coleman told investigators she walked into a bedroom of the trio's Louisville home and found Anderson on top of Cairo. The boy was face-down on the mattress, and court documents claim Coleman told investigators, "it was already done."
Coleman said she helped Anderson put Cairo's body in a hard-sided suitcase with a Las Vegas label before they drove across the Ohio River into Washington County, Indiana, where Coleman dumped the suitcase in the woods.
Where is DeJaune Anderson?
Members of the San Francisco Police Department Tactical Unit and ISP arrested Coleman on an out-of-state warrant in San Francisco.
Anderson, on the other hand, remains at large.
According to the court documents, Coleman claims Anderson talked about her son being possessed as they got into the car and then drove to Indiana to dump the suitcase.
A felony murder arrest warrant was issued for Anderson in November 2022. Police searched for her in the Los Angeles metro area, but had no success locating her.
Police said she's known to travel, and in November 2022, officials said she had recently been to San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas and Houston.
Anderson is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 135 pounds. She had short, dark brown hair in her last known photo, but she is known to often wear wigs or hair extensions.
