Amber Graham’s 8-year-old daughter was found safe at a Cleveland fire station before police located Graham’s body behind a home.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Tennessee mother who traveled to Cleveland to meet a man she knew through online gaming was found dead July 3 behind a home, days after her 8-year-old daughter walked alone into a nearby fire station.
Amber Graham, 37, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, remains the focus of an ongoing investigation by Cleveland police, Spring Hill police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials have not announced a cause or manner of death, and no arrests or charges have been reported. Her daughter was found safe July 1 and placed in the care of child welfare authorities.
Graham left Spring Hill in June with her daughter and told relatives she was traveling to Cleveland to meet a friend, police said. Friends later said the person was a man Graham had met while playing “Call of Duty” online. Spring Hill police said Graham returned to Tennessee around June 20, then left again. Her family last saw her at that time, and a missing persons report was filed July 2 after relatives and friends could not reach her.
Two days before Graham’s body was found, an 8-year-old girl walked into Cleveland Fire Station 33 near West 117th Street and Linnet Avenue. Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said the child appeared uninjured and had a phone number for her grandmother in Tennessee. Fire personnel called police, and Child Protective Services became involved. Officials did not publicly confirm the child’s relationship to Graham, but friends said the girl was Graham’s daughter.
Police and fire crews later went to a home on Bosworth Road for a welfare check. Graham’s body was found outside, covered by a sheet. Norman said the property was in poor condition, with trash and damage around the home. Authorities identified Graham after the discovery and notified Spring Hill detectives, who had been searching for her and her daughter. Investigators have not said how long Graham’s body had been there or whether anyone else was present when officers arrived.
Friends said concern grew after Graham stopped answering calls and missed work. Joshua LaCroix, a friend from Tennessee, said Graham had called during the trip and that he heard an angry man in the background. “That was the last conversation that me and my wife had with her,” LaCroix said. Another friend, Cynthia Clair, said Graham’s behavior did not fit the person they knew, especially after her daughter was found alone.
LaCroix said Graham had told friends she planned to meet a man connected to her through online gaming. He said friends used a Cleveland Facebook group to help identify a home Graham may have visited. That information was passed to police before the welfare check on Bosworth Road. Clair described Graham as a devoted mother and said leaving her child at a fire station would have been out of character.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to determine Graham’s cause and manner of death. Cleveland police have said the case remains under investigation while they wait for medical findings. The man Graham reportedly traveled to meet has not been publicly identified by authorities. Police have not said whether they believe foul play was involved.
As of July 10, the investigation remains open, Graham’s daughter is safe, and authorities in Ohio and Tennessee are working to determine what happened between Graham’s arrival in Cleveland and the discovery of her body.