WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ind. – A judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a mother charged with murder in the death of her son.
Investigators say Dejaune Anderson put his remains in a suitcase before dumping it in rural Washington County in April 2022.
Washington County Circuit Judge Larry Medlock is overseeing the case against Anderson, who’s charged with murder, neglect of a dependent and obstruction of justice.
Medlock wants doctors to evaluate Anderson’s mental state to determine her competency to stand trial.
Earlier this month, Anderson appeared for her initial hearing. She identified herself as “Princess” and told the court she was “representing the entity” of Anderson. She also told the court she’d been under “NSA Surveillance” for months and that a “detail from Space Force” was watching her every move.
Court records show Anderson wanted to defend herself and fire her court-appointed public defender. She also asked the court to dismiss the case, which Medlock denied.
The case stems from an investigation that started in April 2022, when a mushroom hunter came across a suitcase containing a child’s remains. For months, investigators were unable to identify the remains.
It wasn’t until October 2022—six months later—that investigators revealed the remains were those of 5-year-old Cairo Ammar Jordan. They arrested Dawn Coleman, a friend of Anderson’s, while launching a search for Anderson, who remained at large.
In March 2024, about two years after the suitcase discovery, U.S. Marshals found Anderson in California. She was booked into the Washington County Jail on March 31 and made her first court appearance on April 2.
According to court documents, Anderson was convinced a demon lived inside her son. Multiple social media posts showed she wrote about hexes and curses, “protection spells” and “reversal spells.” She wrote of rituals and said a 100-year-old demon inhabited her son’s body.
An autopsy found Cairo died from an “electrolyte imbalance” most likely from “a viral gastroenteritis.”
Coleman, who admitted she’d helped Anderson dump Cairo’s remains, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. In November 2023, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 5 years suspended to probation.
She agreed to testify against Anderson as part of her plea deal.
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