A social visit in a St. Louis home turned deadly in the early hours of September 7, 2025. Robyn Jones, 44, had invited an acquaintance to her residence on the 4400 block of Minnesota Avenue in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. What began with music in the kitchen became lethal when the visitor produced a firearm and shot Jones in the back of the head. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene after the report came in around 1:30 a.m.

The man identified by police as 32-year-old Freddie Lee Sawyer did not leave immediately. He went upstairs, assaulted a second woman by striking her repeatedly in the face, and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint while two children, ages 5 and 16, were present. He threatened to kill the woman if she made noise, left, then returned to kick in the door and steal her cell phone.

Detectives say the surviving victim and another witness identified Sawyer in a police lineup, and cell phone tracking placed him at the residence during the crimes. Court documents note he was on probation for prior drug, weapons, and resisting arrest offenses. Sawyer was arrested days later and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree rape, sodomy, property damage, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of armed criminal action; a judge ordered him held without bond pending trial.

Did anyone in Mount Pleasant see activity near the 4400 block of Minnesota Avenue on September 7 that could help investigators?