WASHINGTON COUNTY, INDIANA, Ind — A small but passionate group of Washington County, Indiana, residents prayed and sang hymns at Crown Hill Cemetery Tuesday evening, in honor of the boy they now call their own son.
It's been two years since 5-year-old Cairo Jordan's body was discovered in a suitcase, dumped in a wooded area of the county.
It's a moment that's forever changed the community, including the mushroom hunter who found Cairo that day, Jeff Meredith.
Meredith was one of more than a dozen people who joined Pastor Dennis Collins in worship at the little boy's gravesite in Salem, honoring his memory. They've adopted Cairo as one of their own.
"He's become our son," Collins told Meredith after the prayer vigil.
The group reflected on all that's changed since April 16, 2022.
"He was buried here in Crown Hill in June of 2022. Until then, he was only known as an unknown angel. But thank God, his identity was found," Collins said during the vigil. "Eternal God, we thank you today for your love and mercy. We're here today to pray for justice."
Locals like Janet Irk and her daughter Yvonne Casey say they're forever connected to Cairo, who was from Atlanta, since the tragic day he was discovered. Since then, they've kept a close eye on his case -- including recently, as police arrested Cairo's mother Dejaune Anderson in California and extradited her to Indiana in March.
Anderson is charged with her son's murder. She was on the run for nearly two years.
“We wanted prayers for justice, and we’re hoping we're going to get it now that she’s in jail. We all want one thing – justice for Cairo," Irk said.
At the vigil, attendees wore shirts showing Cairo's name and his face. His case is personal for folks like Jordan Taylor and Izabelle Foster, who each worked for the Salem Police Department during the time Cairo was found.
"Tragedy brought him to a safe place, and he's resting in peace here now," Foster said.
In a probable cause affidavit released in early April, detectives said fingerprint testing on trash bags found inside the suitcase matched Anderson's.
Anderson is expected back in court for a pretrial hearing on April 25.
The Washington County community is following the case closely, and they say they'll continue to do so until a conviction.
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