Amber Graham, a 37-year-old mother from Spring Hill, Tennessee, was found dead outside a dilapidated home in Cleveland, Ohio, authorities said, days after she traveled hundreds of miles to meet a man she had befriended while playing the video game Call of Duty online.
Background
Graham left Spring Hill—a suburb located approximately 35 miles south of Nashville—on or around June 14 with her 8-year-old daughter, according to the Spring Hill Police Department. She told family members she was traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, roughly 500 miles north, to meet a friend she had met through online gaming.
Six days later, on June 20, Graham briefly returned to Tennessee before leaving again. Authorities said that departure marked the last time her family saw her alive.
On July 2, the Spring Hill Police Department filed a missing persons report for both Graham and her daughter. The following day, Cleveland police notified their Tennessee counterparts that Graham had been discovered deceased.
Fire crews responding to a welfare check at a home on Bosworth Road in Cleveland found Graham's body covered by a sheet behind the residence, according to Lt. Mike Norman with the Cleveland Division of Fire. The property was described as being in significant disrepair, with a damaged gutter and garbage blocking access to the front entrance.
Two days prior to the discovery, an 8-year-old girl walked into a Cleveland firehouse located roughly half a mile from the Bosworth Road property. Authorities later confirmed the child was Graham's daughter. The girl's appearance at the fire station came as a shock to family friends who described the mother as devoted to her child.
The Investigation
The cause and manner of Graham's death remain under investigation by authorities in both Ohio and Tennessee, according to the Spring Hill Police Department. Detectives from both jurisdictions are collaborating on the case, though no suspects have been publicly identified.
Graham's daughter has been placed in the custody of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. Authorities have not disclosed whether any charges have been filed or if a suspect is in custody.
Friends of Graham told local media outlets that she had met the man online through Call of Duty, a popular first-person shooter video game. Cynthia Clair, who managed Graham at a grocery store where she worked, described her friend as someone seeking connection after struggling to find it locally.
"I think she really just wanted love," Clair told Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV. "She was having a hard time finding that here. We all—every single one of us in here—tried to tell her, you know, 'we love you here, you have a family here, we love you.' And she went anyways.
Clair recounted receiving a disturbing phone call from Graham the day she was supposed to return to work. Hours after failing to show up for her shift, Graham called Clair and quit her job. Then, according to Clair, a man's voice came on the line.
"He was really, really upset. He was screaming at me. He was screaming at her," Clair said in an interview with WKYC, Cleveland's NBC affiliate.
Key Takeaways
- Amber Graham, 37, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was found dead July 3 at a home on Bosworth Road in Cleveland, Ohio
- She had traveled from Tennessee to meet a man she met while playing Call of Duty online
- Her 8-year-old daughter walked into a Cleveland firehouse two days before the body was discovered
- The cause and manner of death remain under investigation; no suspects have been publicly named
- Graham's daughter is in the custody of Ohio child welfare authorities
What's Next
Investigators from both states continue to work together as they await forensic results and interview witnesses. Authorities have not indicated when additional information about the circumstances surrounding Graham's death might be released. Anyone with information relevant to the case has been encouraged to contact the Spring Hill Police Department or Cleveland Division of Police.