Shawn A. Kottmann, 43, of O'Fallon, Missouri, was killed in north St. Louis on Saturday, October 7, 2017. The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The Washington Post's homicide database, which tracked killings in St. Louis through 2017, lists his case as a homicide that remained open with no arrest.
The material found for this account does not describe how he was killed, what time it happened, or whether he died at the scene or at a hospital.
It does not say whether anyone else was hurt.
Three days after his death, on October 10, 2017, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that surveillance video showed a suspect, and police circulated a bulletin titled "Suspect & Suspect Vehicle Wanted for 10/7/17 Homicide of Shawn Kottmann." The description of the suspect and vehicle from that bulletin is not included in the material available for this account. The release shows that detectives had images of a person and a car they wanted to find. No reward amount connected to his death could be found.
His obituary, published by the Cremation Society of Missouri, says he was born on April 23, 1974, and lived in O'Fallon, in St. Charles County. He was the cherished son of Lynda Nimtz and the late Gary Kottmann, and the devoted father of two sons, Shawn and Carter. He had seven brothers and sisters and was a treasured grandson of Charles and June Fierling. He was also survived by "the love of his life," Jenny Pettig. "Shawn's family was his greatest joy, especially his sons," the obituary says. "He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew him."
His family gathered at Baue Funeral Home in O'Fallon on October 18, 2017, and asked that memorials be made to the family to ease the burden of final expenses.
The location recorded in the database places his death in north St. Louis, in the area of the Walnut Park neighborhoods, some 20 miles from his home in St. Charles County. It is a residential area of brick homes and side streets, where an unfamiliar visitor or car can stand out to neighbors. Why he was in that part of the city is not explained in the public record.
St. Louis, a city of roughly 300,000 people, has for years had one of the highest homicide rates of any large American city. Police recorded about 120 homicides in 2013, 159 in 2014, 188 in both 2015 and 2016, and 205 in 2017, the most in roughly two decades. In many of those years, detectives solved fewer than half of the city's killings.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Shawn Kottmann could be found in news archives or public records. More than 9 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who recognizes the person or the vehicle shown in the October 2017 surveillance images, knows why Shawn Kottmann was in north St. Louis that Saturday, or has heard someone talk about his death may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division at 314-444-5371, or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (866-371-8477).
