SALEM – Washington County Circuit Judge Larry Medlock has granted the defense’s request to bring in a jury outside of Washington County to determine the guilt or innocence of Dawn Coleman after citing she can’t get a fair trial due to the public outrage over the death of 5-year-old Cairo Ammar Jordan, of Atlanta Georgia.
The jury will be brought in from Harrison County. Her trial is scheduled for October 3, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.
Coleman is charged with aiding, inducing, or causing the murder and neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice. She is being held in the Washington County Jail without bond.
Two felony arrest warrants were issued for Dawn Elaine Coleman, then 40, of Louisiana, and then 37-year-old Dejuane Ludie Anderson, of Georgia, Jordan’s mother.
As a result of information gathered during their investigation, ISP Detective Matt Busick and ISP Detective Chris Tucker traveled to San Francisco, California. On October 19, 2022, Detective Matt Busick located and arrested Dawn Coleman with the assistance of the San Francisco Police Department. Continuing with information collected as part of the investigation, both detectives traveled to the Los Angeles, California, metro area but were unsuccessful in locating Dejaune Anderson.
Police say Cario was never reported to authorities as a missing child.
On April 16, 2022, Jeff Meredith was out mushroom hunting in a rural, wooded area of Washington County. About 80 feet from the roadway, Meredith found a bright blue, yellow, and red suitcase. He immediately thought to call the police but hesitated thinking “this may be nothing”, so he opened the suitcase. Inside he found the body of a young boy.
The official autopsy report attributes Jordan’s death to an “electrolyte imbalance”. The report also states the imbalance was likely from “a viral gastroenteritis” and says the blood toxicology was “negative”. The report further states there was an “absence of significant traumatic injuries”, advising there was “no anatomical cause of death”.
Despite not knowing the child’s identity, the citizen of Salem gave the young boy a proper funeral.
Weathers Funeral Home held the boy’s funeral on June 1, 2022, at 11 a.m. All of the funeral costs were covered by generous donations.
Mourners gathered for the child whom they called “Angel.” He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Salem with a marker bearing the image of an angel and the inscription, “In loving memory of a beloved little boy known but to God. Asleep in the arms of Jesus.”
