The woman charged in Indian with helping a Georgia mother dispose of the body of her 5-year-old son last year is asking for a change of venue for her trial.
The body of 5-year-old Cairo Jordan was found in a hard shell suitcase bearing the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” logo in April 2022 by a mushroom hunter in southeastern Indiana. For weeks, the boy’s identity was unknown as investigators sought both his identity and clues to who left him in Indiana, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Indiana State Police identified the boy and his mother, DeJaune Ludie Anderson, in October last year, along with another suspect — 40-year-old Dawn Coleman of Louisiana. Coleman was arrested in San Francisco and charged with aiding, inducing or causing murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and obstruction of justice.
Anderson, who faces a murder charge along with neglect and obstruction charges, is still at large.
Coleman’s attorney, Ryan Bower, argued in March that charges against his client should be dismissed, but the court denied that motion, WTHR reported. He has now filed a motion for a change of venue, arguing that the public hostility and outrage against his client in Washington County would make it impossible for her to receive a fair trial.
A hearing on the issue has been set for June 1.
Court document say Coleman told investigators they were living in Louisville, Kentucky, when she walked into a bedroom and found Anderson on top of the boy, who was face down on the mattress. “It was already done,” she reportedly told the investigators.
Coleman said she helped Anderson put Cairo’s body in the suitcase, and then they drove across the Ohio River into Indiana, where Coleman left the suitcase in the woods.
The documents also say that Anderson talked about her son being possessed by a demon.
Coleman was arrested in San Francisco on October 19, but so far, Anderson hasn’t been found. Last November, police said she’d recently been to San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Houston. She’s described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 135 pounds with short, dark brown hair, but she often wears wigs or hair extensions.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Las Vegas suitcase and Cairo Jordan/Indiana State Police and Facebook]
