On the morning of December 15, 2018, a home on Cherry Avenue in Hillsdale, a St. Louis suburb, was the scene of a deadly home invasion. A family gathering included six children aged seven months to seven years, 25-year-old father Dontay Davis and 21-year-old Ahmira McDaniel, a college student who had returned home to celebrate the holidays. An intruder entered the residence and opened fire. Davis and McDaniel were both struck and later died.

Investigators from the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons treated the incident as a homicide and, within days, identified 26-year-old Marvin Butler-Dickerson as the primary suspect. Authorities say Butler-Dickerson was taken into custody, confessed to the shootings, and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of first-degree burglary. He was held without bond.

The attack left the children without their father and the family grieving during the holiday season. If anyone has information about the events that led to this shooting or knew the victims, please come forward.