SELLERSBURG – The Indiana State Police recognized outstanding service and achievement Tuesday during its annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony in Indianapolis.
Among the honorees was Detective Matt Busick, who received the Investigator of the Year award from Superintendent Anthony Scott for his exceptional work on the Cairo Jordan death investigation. The case began when the body of a 5‑year‑old child was found inside a suitcase in a heavily wooded area of Washington County.
The award reads:
On April 16, 2022, a man was hunting for mushrooms in a remote area of Washington County, Indiana, when he stumbled upon a brightly colored suitcase off the roadway in a wooded area. The man opened the suitcase, located the body of a child, and called the police.
The first responding police officers were deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. When deputies arrived, they confirmed that the suitcase did in fact contain the body of a deceased child.
The Sheriff’s Department called the Indiana State Police to take the lead on the investigation. Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators from the Indiana State Police Post in Sellersburg soon arrived and began an investigation. State Police Detective Matt Busick was assigned as the lead investigator.
The scene was documented, searched, and evidence was collected by Sgt. Phill D’Angelo. The suitcase was taken to the Indiana State Police Post in Sellersburg, where Latent Print Examiner Mallory Webb, with Sgt. D’Angelo’s assistance located several latent prints from the suitcase. Swabs for DNA were also collected.
The identification of the child was unknown, and law enforcement soon learned that no child fitting the description of the victim had been reported missing. Extensive efforts were undertaken to identify the child. This included facial recognition, fingerprints, news media assistance, and collaboration with other law enforcement partners, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Numerous leads were received from the public, but none were found to be of value.
Detective Busick and his team worked tirelessly, running down tips. Detective Busick utilized numerous investigative tools, including cell site evidence and surveillance cameras located along roadways leading to and from the scene, to name a few. Detective Busick also began the process of having familial DNA used in hopes of identifying the child.
On June 22, 2022, Analyst Mallory Webb reported to Detective Busick that the latent prints recovered from the suitcase revealed a match. Detective Busick took this match and was able to locate body camera footage obtained by the South Carolina Highway Patrol of an arrest they made. The footage revealed the suspect, a third person, and the child.
With the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Detective Busick identified the child as five-year-old Cario Ammar Jordan.
The Indiana State Police Laboratory began the analysis of the DNA evidence taken from the suitcase in hopes of identifying the suspect.
With the identity of the child and the child’s mother known, Detective Busick prepared and served numerous search warrants for electronic and social data.
The in-depth investigation by Detective Busick and his collaboration with the laboratory personnel, along with intelligence section analyst Amber McClain, was able to obtain a murder arrest warrant for two suspects from this cooperative investigation. This was made possible with other law enforcement partners as well. Both suspects were ultimately arrested and charged with murder.
Due to Detective Busick’s investigative knowledge, resourcefulness, and ability to collaborate with others, this case resulted in a positive conclusion. This case started with little to no leads, but due to the tenacity of the assisting department members, with the support of many others, the investigation was successful.
