Her 8-year-old daughter was found safe after being dropped off at a nearby fire station.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Tennessee mother reported missing with her 8-year-old daughter was found dead Friday behind a Cleveland home, while the child was later confirmed safe, authorities said.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Amber Graham, 37. Cleveland police said officers found her around 9 a.m. Friday while responding to a welfare check in the 3400 block of Bosworth Road. Graham had been reported missing in Spring Hill, Tennessee, days earlier. As of Monday, officials had not released her cause or manner of death, and no arrest had been announced.
Spring Hill police said they took a missing persons report for Graham on July 2. The department said Graham had her 8-year-old daughter with her when relatives became concerned. Police said Graham’s mother last had contact with her on June 18. Investigators in Tennessee later confirmed they were in contact with Cleveland police after the search for Graham shifted into a death investigation in Ohio.
The girl was found before Graham’s body was discovered. Cleveland fire officials said the child was dropped off Wednesday at Fire Station 33, near West 117th Street and Linnet Avenue. The station is about a half mile from the Bosworth Road property where Graham was later found. Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said the girl had a phone number for her grandmother in Tennessee in her pocket. Officials said the child did not appear to have urgent medical problems when she arrived.
Police were called after the girl reached the fire station, and she was placed in the care of Child Protective Services. Authorities have not said who dropped her off, how long she had been in Cleveland or whether she was with her mother after arriving in Ohio. Officials also have not said how Graham traveled from Tennessee to Cleveland or how she ended up at the Bosworth Road home.
Josh LaCroix, a family friend in Tennessee, said Graham’s disappearance was out of character. He described her as dependable and said she worked at a grocery store. “She’s a good mom,” LaCroix said. “She’s real sweet, real kind and talkative.” He said friends and relatives became alarmed after Graham stopped communicating and did not return when expected.
LaCroix said Graham had been communicating online with a man while playing Call of Duty on Xbox. He said the man used the names “Huckleberry” or “Red.” LaCroix said Graham may have traveled to Ohio to meet him, but police have not confirmed that account, identified the man or named any suspect. LaCroix also said he once heard a man who sounded agitated during a phone call with Graham before she vanished.
The scene at the Bosworth Road property left investigators with more questions. Norman said he was not working Friday but spoke with a colleague who responded to the call. He said the home was described as being in “a bizarre condition” and appeared difficult to enter through the front door. Norman said he was told there was a body under a sheet near a door. Cleveland police confirmed officers found Graham deceased while conducting the welfare check.
Neighbors saw police and fire crews at the property Friday, but officials released few details from the scene. The home sits in a residential part of Cleveland’s West Side, not far from the fire station where Graham’s daughter was dropped off. Police initially said a child connected to the woman had been located and was safe. The medical examiner later identified the woman as Graham, connecting the Cleveland death investigation to the Tennessee missing persons case.
Spring Hill, where Graham lived, is south of Nashville and more than 500 miles from Cleveland by road. The distance has added to questions about why Graham traveled to Ohio and who she may have been meeting. Investigators in both states are expected to review phone records, online communications, witness statements and the timeline between Graham’s last known contact with family and the discovery of her body.
The case now depends heavily on findings from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Cleveland police said they were waiting for the medical examiner’s ruling before determining whether Graham’s death would be handled as a criminal case. Officials have not released information about injuries, a suspected weapon or evidence recovered from the property. No person of interest had been publicly named in the initial reports.
LaCroix said he used social media to help gather information after Graham went missing. He said friends were trying to learn whether she had made contact with anyone in Ohio and where she may have gone after leaving Tennessee. “This is such a weird and crazy,” LaCroix said. “This is all new to me. I don’t know how to process.”
As of Monday, Graham’s daughter remained safe and in protective care. The next major step is the medical examiner’s ruling on how Graham died, which will guide whether Cleveland police pursue the case as a homicide or another type of death investigation.
Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.