On the morning of May 22, 2016, a fire at a two-story brick home in the 4400 block of Elmbank Avenue in north St. Louis revealed a far more violent scene: three people were found dead after firefighters suppressed the blaze. Victims included 31-year-old Marquita Jones-Smith, her partner 56-year-old Melvin Thomas, and their six-month-old daughter, Madison.

Autopsy and forensic work determined the two adults had been shot before the fire, and investigators concluded someone had set the house ablaze, apparently to destroy evidence. Reports say the infant was left inside the burning home and the fire contributed to her death. Police treated the event as a homicide and canvassed the neighborhood while seeking information about who entered the residence and why.

No publicly reported arrest or detailed charging information naming a suspect appeared in immediate accounts following the killings. If anyone knew the family, their movements that morning, or has information about who might have targeted them, please share what is known with investigators.