Indiana State Police detectives have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of a young boy.
Dawn Coleman, 40 of Shreveport, La., was arrested Oct. 19 in San Francisco.
A 5-year-old Atlanta boy was found in April in rural southeast Washington County. A mushroom hunter came across his body in a sealed Las Vegas-themed suitcase. Investigators ruled the cause of death electrolyte imbalance, likely caused by viral gastroenteritis. At the time, police had no lead on the child’s identity. No family members or witnesses came forward, and public tips led nowhere.
The Indiana State Police said that evidence at the scene as well as electronic, digital communication and social media forensic techniques led them to two suspects: Coleman and the child’s biological mother, Dejuane Ludie Anderson, 37, of Atlanta. The Washington County Circuit Court issued warrants for their arrests Oct. 14.
The two women were charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice.
The child’s mother has not been located.
State police are asking for the public’s help in locating Anderson. They say she has recently visited San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas and Houston. Anderson is African American, 5-feet-5 inches tall and around 135 pounds with short, dark hair, although she sometimes wears extensions.
