Overview
- Five members of one extended family spanning three generations were found dead in three East St. Louis locations, including Patricia May, 74, and four other relatives.
- Investigators responded to a report of human remains at Samuel Gompers Homes on July 12 and then discovered four additional victims at two other sites during the same probe.
- Sixteen-year-old Ja’ymeir Davis has been charged in adult court with five counts of first-degree murder and other felonies including a dismemberment count, while prosecutors have filed a juvenile petition and are seeking to transfer the 15-year-old’s case to adult court.
- Police say the two teens were taken into custody after a vehicle stop near Frank Holten State Park and that a severed thumb linked to the case was recovered from the vehicle, though investigators have not confirmed a full motive.
- Two other relatives remain hospitalized with serious injuries, investigators continue forensic processing and witness interviews, and community members have expressed shock while organizers set up funds to help with funerals.