In the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 8, 2024, the body of 19-year-old Jerome Baker was discovered at a residence undergoing remodeling in the Penrose neighborhood of north St. Louis. Officers had been called to the 4800 block of Farlin Avenue around 5:15 a.m. for a report of a 'person down.'. Upon arrival, they found the young man, a resident of the 4800 block of Sacramento Avenue, had been shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators with the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department believe he may have been killed hours before his body was found.
The case is being investigated as a homicide. As of the initial reports, no arrests had been made, and the police had not released any information about potential suspects or a motive for the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have urged anyone with information to contact the Homicide Division or CrimeStoppers.
Another man from St. Louis named Jerome Baker was the victim of an unsolved homicide years earlier. This Jerome Baker, a 28-year-old Black male and a father of six, vanished on May 15, 2016. He had been planning to take his children to Six Flags that day. The morning he went missing, he called his best friend to borrow his car. When the friend arrived at Baker's home just eleven minutes later, he was gone, leaving behind his wallet and other personal items.
Months later, in October 2016, a utility worker discovered a human skull in a vacant lot near Bircher Boulevard and Riverview Boulevard, which was later identified as belonging to Jerome Baker. His death was ruled a homicide. Drag marks had reportedly been found in the backyard of his home on the day he disappeared. Despite a 911 call that allegedly captured him fighting with assailants, no arrests have ever been made in connection with his murder, and no suspects have been publicly identified. His case remains cold.
