Last reviewed: July 16, 2026 · This page changes as court records become public.
East St. Louis Family Homicides
A live evidentiary dossier tracking five deaths, two wounded survivors, multiple alleged scenes and parallel adult and juvenile proceedings.
This active-case file describes multiple gunshot wounds, stabbing, concealment of a body inside a storage tote, a fatal head wound, postmortem severing of a victim’s thumb, and surviving gunshot wounds to the neck and back. Every detail remains tagged to its current evidentiary source.
Victims and Survivors
The human record is separated from the allegations against the accused.
Patricia A. May
Grandmother / family matriarch
Deceased · Age 74Publicly alleged injury record: Prosecutors allege she was shot in the side of the head. Her right thumb was severed after death and allegedly used to unlock her phone.Cherie L. May
Aunt
Deceased · Age 49Publicly alleged injury record: Prosecutors allege Davis shot her at least four times and that the juvenile also shot and stabbed her. Her body was concealed inside a storage tote.Devin D. May
Cousin
Deceased · Age 24Publicly alleged injury record: The prosecution alleges he entered the apartment while the earlier scene was being cleaned and was shot in the head.Quentin L. Thompson
Brother
Deceased · Age 21Publicly alleged injury record: Public court reporting describes gunshot wounds to the head and body at Jones Park.Shania W. Thompson
Sister
Deceased · Age 25Publicly alleged injury record: Public reporting states she was shot in the head and recovered in the rear of a stolen Chevrolet Traverse.Tiffany Thompson
Mother
SurvivedPublicly alleged injury record: Public court reporting describes gunshot wounds to the neck and back. She survived.Santosha Scott
Cousin
SurvivedPublicly alleged injury record: Public court reporting describes a gunshot wound to the back. She survived.Adult-Court Charges
The public adult complaint contains twelve felony counts.
First-degree murder
Adult complaint
Attempted murder
Adult complaint
Aggravated battery
Adult complaint
Dismembering a human body
Adult complaint
Aggravated vehicular hijacking
Adult complaint
Unlawful use of a stolen firearm
Adult complaint
Procedural Tracker
A live docket should show what the court has actually done—not what commentators expect next.
Arrests after PIT stop
Both teens were taken into custody after a forced vehicle stop at Frank Holten State Park.
Adult detention ordered
Associate Judge Sara Rice ordered Davis detained pending trial.
Juvenile transfer decision
Prosecutors have said they will seek transfer of the 15-year-old to adult court. No public transfer ruling was available as of the review date.
Active Chronology
Every entry carries a source-status label so allegations cannot harden into “fact” by repetition.
Cherie May allegedly killed
Prosecutors allege Cherie was shot and stabbed inside her apartment at Samuel Gompers Homes. Her body was reportedly concealed in a storage tote and moved behind a building.
Firearm reported missing
Tiffany Thompson reportedly told police that her firearm was missing and that she believed her daughter had taken it. Full theft-report and storage records are not yet public.
Devin and Patricia May allegedly killed
The prosecution says Devin entered while the apartment was being cleaned and was shot. Patricia was allegedly lured inside and shot after Davis hid in a closet.
Patricia May thumb allegation
Charging documents accuse Davis of severing Patricia May’s right thumb and using it to unlock her phone. This is an allegation, not a trial finding.
Jones Park shootings
Quentin Thompson was killed. Tiffany Thompson and Santosha Scott were wounded and survived. Prosecutors allege an SUV was then taken by force.
Shania Thompson recovery
Shania was found dead in the rear of a stolen Chevrolet Traverse near North 39th Street and Summit Avenue.
PIT stop at Frank Holten State Park
Cell-location information allegedly led police to the teens. Officers used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle and made the arrests.
Detention hearing
Ja’ymier Davis was ordered detained pending trial. Defense counsel disputed the prosecution’s narrative and signaled self-defense, compulsion and necessity theories.
Active investigation
The 15-year-old remained in juvenile proceedings while prosecutors sought transfer to adult court. No trial date had been announced.
Scene Matrix
Principal attack, concealment, recovery and arrest locations are tracked independently.
Samuel Gompers Homes
Prosecutors allege Cherie May was shot at least four times, additionally shot and stabbed by the juvenile, then placed inside a storage tote. Devin was allegedly shot in the head after entering the apartment. Patricia was allegedly lured inside, shot in the side of the head and subjected to postmortem removal of her right thumb.
Jones Park
Quentin Thompson was found with gunshot wounds to the head and body. Tiffany Thompson was shot in the neck and back; Santosha Scott was shot in the back. Both women survived and required hospital treatment.
39th Street / Summit
Shania Thompson was reportedly shot in the head. Her body was recovered in the rear cargo area of the stolen Chevrolet Traverse, making the vehicle both a transport and body-recovery scene.
Frank Holten State Park
After the PIT stop, officers allegedly saw the handgun and recovered Patricia May’s severed right thumb from a vehicle door compartment. Prosecutors say the thumb had been retained to obtain biometric access to her iPhone.
Vehicle and route scenes
The public file has not yet disclosed blood-pattern documentation, DNA transfer, latent-print results or the complete route linking the apartment, Jones Park, the Traverse recovery point and Frank Holten State Park.
Medical and autopsy records
The public does not yet have the five autopsy packets, precise wound counts, bullet paths, firing distances, stab-wound dimensions, blood-loss findings or the two survivors’ complete surgical records.
Explicit Injury and Body-Recovery File
These are the most graphic details presently described in charging documents and open-court reporting. They are not substitutes for autopsy reports, operative notes or trial-tested forensic testimony.
Cherie May
Davis allegedly shot her at least four times. Prosecutors also allege the 15-year-old shot and stabbed her an undisclosed number of times. Her body was then placed inside a storage tote and left at the housing complex.
Devin May
He allegedly arrived while the apartment scene was being cleaned and was shot in the head. The public record does not yet state the number of shots, firing distance or projectile path.
Patricia May
She was allegedly lured into the apartment while Davis hid in a closet, then shot in the side of the head. After death, her right thumb was cut off and allegedly used in an attempt to unlock her iPhone.
Quentin Thompson
He was found at Jones Park with gunshot wounds to the head and body. The autopsy’s exact entry wounds, wound tracks and recovered projectiles remain nonpublic.
Shania Thompson
She was reportedly shot in the head. Her body was discovered in the rear of the stolen Chevrolet Traverse, creating a combined homicide, transport and recovery scene.
Tiffany Thompson and Santosha Scott
Tiffany sustained gunshot wounds to the neck and back. Santosha was shot in the back. Both survived, but their complete trauma, surgical and recovery records have not been released.
Evidence Tracker
A live evidence table distinguishes recovered items from prosecution descriptions and unverified family claims.
| ID | Item | Location | Current public description | What remains missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC-001 | Recovered handgun | Arrest vehicle | COURT / OFFICIAL RECORD ATF trace reportedly identifies the firearm as Tiffany Thompson’s missing gun. | Laboratory comparison reports remain nonpublic. |
| AC-002 | Cartridge cases | Multiple scenes | PROSECUTION ALLEGATION Court reporting says cartridge cases were preliminarily associated with the recovered gun. | Final microscopic comparison conclusions not released. |
| AC-003 | Patricia May’s right thumb | Vehicle door compartment | COURT / OFFICIAL RECORD The charging complaint alleges Patricia May’s right thumb was cut from her body after death, retained in the vehicle and used in an attempt to unlock her iPhone. | Medical, DNA and phone-unlock records remain nonpublic. |
| AC-004 | Patricia May’s iPhone | Unknown public custody detail | PROSECUTION ALLEGATION Prosecutors allege biometric access was obtained using the severed thumb. | Extraction report and access logs not released. |
| AC-005 | Storage tote | Samuel Gompers Homes | PROSECUTION ALLEGATION Prosecutors allege Cherie May’s gunshot- and stab-injured body was placed inside the tote for concealment and disposal. | Scene photographs, latent prints and trace reports are unavailable. |
| AC-006 | Cleaning materials / biological stains | Cherie May apartment | PROSECUTION ALLEGATION Prosecution account describes cleaning activity before Devin arrived. | No public laboratory inventory. |
| AC-007 | Chevrolet Traverse | Recovery area near 39th Street | COURT / OFFICIAL RECORD Shania Thompson’s body, reportedly bearing a fatal head gunshot wound, was recovered in the rear of the stolen SUV. | Vehicle processing records are pending public release. |
| AC-008 | Cellphone location data | Frank Holten State Park route | PROSECUTION ALLEGATION Allegedly used to locate the teens before the PIT stop. | Warrant, provider return and geolocation precision not public. |
| AC-009 | Teen message threads | Phones / social platforms | PROSECUTION ALLEGATION Prosecutors described messages about moving a body, killing relatives and relationship loyalty. | Full threads and authentication have not been released. |
| AC-010 | Instagram “hit list” | Social media | FAMILY / MEDIA ACCOUNT Relatives and secondary reporting allege a list existed. | Not confirmed in public charging documents or ISP releases. |
| AC-011 | Stolen-gun report | Police record dated July 7 | COURT / OFFICIAL RECORD May establish notice, ownership and timeline of missing firearm. | Full report and lock-box access evidence not public. |
| AC-012 | PIT-stop bodycam / dashcam | Frank Holten State Park | UNRESOLVED / PENDING Would document vehicle stop, visible firearm and evidence recovery. | No complete footage released. |
Digital Evidence
Messages, phone access and social-platform records require authentication before they can be treated as proof.
Prosecutors described messages about moving Cherie May’s body, killing relatives, and whether each teen would sacrifice family for the relationship. Full threads, timestamps and device ownership evidence are not public.
Relatives and secondary reporting allege a list existed. It has not been confirmed in public charging documents or the ISP announcement. It remains quarantined as a family/media claim pending authenticated platform records.
The prosecution alleges Patricia’s severed thumb was used to unlock her iPhone. Phone access logs, extraction records and the precise data allegedly obtained have not been released.
Cell-location information allegedly helped police find the teens at Frank Holten State Park. The warrant, provider returns and accuracy limits are not public.
Firearm and Ballistics
The public record currently provides a preliminary linkage—not the complete firearms laboratory packet.
Ownership and trace
The recovered handgun was reportedly traced to Tiffany Thompson, who had reported it missing on July 7.
Scene linkage
Cartridge cases from the relevant scenes were reportedly preliminarily associated with the recovered gun.
Missing laboratory record
Projectile comparisons, gunshot-residue results, magazine inventory and final microscopic conclusions are not public.
Storage and access
A relative said the gun had been kept in a locked box. Access evidence and the storage device itself have not been publicly documented.
Motive Matrix
The active-case format keeps competing motive theories visible instead of selecting one prematurely.
Relationship preservation
Relatives say family opposition to the teenage relationship was a central trigger.
Schooling and family restrictions
Some reporting links the conflict to schooling, running away and household limits.
Financial motive
Davis allegedly mentioned money in connection with Patricia May’s death.
Witness elimination
Devin’s arrival during alleged cleaning activity may support a scene-concealment theory.
Threats and self-protection
The defense says family members had threatened Davis or pointed weapons at him.
No single official motive
Authorities have not announced one motive that explains all seven shootings.
Prosecution Theory
The state’s public narrative emphasizes planning, concealment, multiple scenes and coordinated participation.
The state says messages discussed moving a body and killing additional relatives. Authentication, full context and authorship remain for litigation.
The prosecution describes a tote, cleaning activity and multiple body-recovery locations as evidence of consciousness of guilt.
The state alleges the 15-year-old lured Patricia into the apartment while Davis hid in a closet.
Cell-location data, vehicle movement and the forced stop are expected to anchor the flight and evidence-recovery narrative.
Defense Position
Defense theories must be presented in parallel with the state’s allegations, not buried as an afterthought.
Self-defense
Counsel has indicated that self-defense may be raised.
Compulsion / necessity
Counsel has also referenced compulsion and necessity.
Prior threats
The defense says family members threatened Davis or pointed firearms at him. Supporting evidence has not been publicly produced.
Juvenile Court and Privacy
The active style treats the two defendants under different legal and publication rules.
Davis in adult court
Illinois excluded-jurisdiction law places a 16-year-old charged with first-degree murder in adult court.
Transfer sought for 15-year-old
Her identity remains withheld. Transfer requires a court process and should not be described as automatic.
Rumor Control
Claims that are widely repeated but not yet authenticated are isolated here.
Instagram “hit list”
Repeated by relatives and secondary coverage, but absent from the publicly described charging record.
“Family annihilation” label
Potentially useful as comparative criminology, but not an official classification and not a substitute for the charged facts.
Relationship as sole motive
The relationship theory may be important, but the current record also contains financial, concealment and defense narratives.
“Single weekend spree”
The prosecution timeline appears to begin several days earlier with Cherie May’s alleged killing.
Missing Records Queue
A live dossier should show what evidence is still absent rather than pretending the public file is complete.
Update Log
Every substantive revision should be timestamped so readers can see how the public record changed.
Five deaths, two wounded survivors and two juvenile arrests confirmed
ISP described a targeted attack and a PIT stop at Frank Holten State Park.
Adult complaint filed
Twelve counts publicly described against Ja’ymier Davis.
Detention hearing expands public chronology
Prosecution and defense theories entered the public record.
Dossier review date
No trial date, transfer ruling, autopsy packets or complete digital-forensic reports available.
Source Ledger
Official releases, charging records and local courtroom reporting are separated from social-media claims; graphic details are included only when publicly attributed.
Illinois State Police
Official case announcement describing the shootings as targeted and confirming the PIT stop at Frank Holten State Park.
Open source recordBelleville News-Democrat — charging report
Local court reporting on the 12-count complaint and adult-court charges.
Open source recordBelleville News-Democrat — detention details
Local reporting on alleged chronology, messages, firearm evidence and detention ruling.
Open source recordBelleville News-Democrat — early probe
Relationship map, scene sequence, surviving victims and current procedural status.
Open source recordIllinois General Assembly
Excluded-jurisdiction statute governing adult prosecution of a 16-year-old charged with first-degree murder.
Open source recordFirst Alert 4
Detention-hearing reporting, arrest details and announced defense theories.
Open source recordFirst Alert 4 — graphic hearing details
Open-court reporting on the alleged four gunshots and stabbing of Cherie, the head wounds, survivor injuries, storage tote and postmortem thumb removal.
Open source recordEAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — (July 16, 2026) — A 16-year-old East St. Louis boy has been charged as an adult with five counts of first-degree murder and a string of additional felonies in what authorities describe as a targeted, multi-day attack that killed five members of his 15-year-old girlfriend’s family and wounded two others across several locations in the city.
Ja’ymier M. Davis, 16, faces a 12-count criminal complaint that includes five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of dismembering a human body, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking and one count of unlawful use of a stolen firearm, according to St. Clair County prosecutors and court records reported by the Belleville News-Democrat.
The victims, all relatives of the 15-year-old girl, who authorities and family members identify as Davis’s girlfriend, were:
- Patricia A. May, 74, her grandmother
- Cherie L. May, 49, her aunt
- Devin D. May, 24, her cousin
- Quentin L. Thompson, 21, her brother
- Shania W. Thompson, 25, her sister
Two other relatives, Tiffany Thompson, the girl’s mother, and Santosha Scott, a cousin, survived gunshot wounds and are recovering in the hospital, relatives told media outlets.
Illinois State Police and prosecutors have described the incidents as a targeted attack on one family, with shootings and related offences unfolding at multiple sites, including the Samuel Gompers Homes public housing complex, Jones Park and an alley near North 39th Street and Summit Avenue. Unlike initial reports that framed the events as a single-day spree, court testimony and charging documents indicate the alleged crimes spanned roughly July 5 through July 12.
Prosecutors’ Account of the Alleged Sequence (from Detention Hearing)
According to statements presented by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office:
- July 5–7: Cherie May was allegedly killed inside her apartment at the Samuel Gompers Homes. Davis reportedly told investigators she was shot at least four times; the girl is also alleged to have shot and stabbed her. Her body was placed in a storage tote and left behind a building at the complex.
- July 11–12: While the teens were allegedly cleaning the scene, Devin May entered the apartment and was shot in the head. Patricia May was allegedly lured into the apartment by the girl while Davis hid in a closet; he then emerged and shot her in the side of the head. Prosecutors said Davis referenced money in connection with Patricia’s death and is accused of severing her right thumb postmortem to unlock her iPhone.
- July 12: Quentin Thompson was shot in the head and body at Jones Park. Tiffany Thompson was shot in the neck and back; Santosha Scott was shot in the back. Both women survived. Davis is accused of then taking Scott’s Chevrolet Traverse SUV by force. Shania Thompson was shot in the head; her body was found in the rear of the stolen SUV behind a residence near North 39th Street.
The investigation began when East St. Louis officers discovered Cherie May’s remains. While processing that scene, they received reports of multiple people shot at Jones Park. Cellphone location data later helped track the suspects to Frank Holten State Park, where Illinois State Police used a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to stop their vehicle on July 12. A handgun, reportedly the one Tiffany Thompson said was stolen from a locked box on July 7 and believed to have been taken by her daughter, and Patricia May’s severed thumb were allegedly found inside the vehicle, according to police and court reports.
Charges, Evidence and Legal Status
Davis was automatically transferred to adult court under Illinois law, which excludes 16- and 17-year-olds charged with first-degree murder from juvenile jurisdiction. He must, however, be housed separately from adult inmates while under 18. Associate Judge Sara Rice ordered him detained pending trial, describing the allegations as “a horrifying sequence demonstrating disregard for human life.” He is represented by public defenders Patrick Sullivan and Alec Wade.
The 15-year-old girl faces charges through a confidential juvenile delinquency petition that includes first-degree murder. Prosecutors have stated their intent to seek her transfer to adult court through the statutory process; her identity remains unpublished unless and until a court orders otherwise.
Key pieces of evidence cited publicly include:
- The recovered 9mm handgun and preliminary ballistic matches to cartridge cases at the scenes (full lab reports pending).
- An ATF trace confirming the gun’s link to Tiffany Thompson.
- Cellphone location data and digital messages allegedly exchanged between the teens discuss moving Cherie May’s body, killing additional relatives, loyalty to their relationship and whether each would “sacrifice” their family for the other.
- The severed thumb and iPhone access.
Prosecutors have described these messages as potential evidence of planning and consciousness of guilt, though full forensic authentication and context have not yet been released publicly. An Instagram “hit list” referenced by some family members and secondary reporting has not been confirmed in official charging documents or Illinois State Police releases and remains unverified pending authenticated digital evidence.
Motive: Multiple Theories, None Officially Settled
Authorities have not announced a single definitive motive encompassing all seven shootings. Family members have publicly advanced that opposition to the teenagers’ relationship was central, with some alleging the pair created a “hit list” of relatives who disapproved. Prosecutors noted Davis allegedly referenced money in connection with Patricia May’s death and cited messages about relational loyalty. Other reporting has referenced family conflicts over schooling, running away and restrictions.
The defence has indicated it intends to pursue theories of self-defence, compulsion or necessity, claiming Davis had previously been threatened or had guns pointed at him by family members. Those assertions contrast sharply with the prosecution’s narrative of premeditation, luring, concealment, multi-location attacks and postmortem dismemberment. No supporting evidence for the defence claims has been publicly detailed.
This case therefore invites examination from several angles: a possible relationship-driven conspiracy, elements of financial gain, witness elimination to conceal earlier crimes, and the defence perspective of perceived self-protection amid family tension. Comparative criminology sometimes labels such intra-family violence “family annihilation,” but that framing is not an official classification here and should not be treated as settled fact.
Community Reaction and Broader Context
Relatives have expressed shock and grief, with one telling reporters the overriding question is simply “why.” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly called the acts “alleged acts of horrific violence” and “evil,” yet emphasized that “it will not keep this city down.” East St. Louis has long grappled with elevated rates of violent crime; this incident, involving juveniles and an extended family, underscores the complex intersections of youth relationships, domestic tensions and access to firearms in the region.
Current Procedural Status
As of July 16, Davis remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail. No trial date has been set. The 15-year-old remains in juvenile proceedings while prosecutors pursue transfer. Full discovery — including autopsies, complete digital forensics, ballistic reports, search-warrant returns, 911 calls, bodycam footage from the PIT stop and statements from survivors — has not been publicly released.
Every allegation in this case stems from charging documents, prosecutors’ statements at the detention hearing, law-enforcement releases, or family accounts. Both suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
This is a developing story. Updates will follow as additional court filings, forensic results or hearings become public.
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