ST. LOUIS, MO – The hunt is ongoing for a 17-year-old murder suspect who managed to escape from a juvenile detention center in St. Louis over the weekend. The teenager, whose identity is being withheld due to his minor status, is charged with the second-degree murder of 20-year-old Calvin Kelly, a crime that occurred on October 24, 2023.
The suspect’s escape was captured on surveillance cameras, showing the youth evading security by rolling under a gate in the facility’s parking garage. Despite extensive searches of the area surrounding the detention center and the teen’s last known residence, authorities have yet to locate him.
The mother of the victim, Naiesha Stewart, expressed her outrage over the incident, particularly the decision to not release the suspect’s name to the public. Stewart learned of the escape through social media, and voiced her frustration at the perceived lack of oversight that allowed the suspect to flee.
The suspect had been in custody at the juvenile detention center located at 3847 Enright Avenue since December 8. Community members, upon hearing about the escape, expressed their wish for more information from the police, arguing that they would be better equipped to assist in the search if they knew who to look for.
Kym Shannon, a local resident, criticized the situation, questioning how the public could help identify and report the suspect without sufficient information. The St. Louis Police Department has not yet responded to these concerns.