Before a city lawsuit accused her of running a massive illegal rooming house operation, the residents of Virginia Avenue in St. Louis’ Tower Grove East neighborhood knew all about Dara Daugherty.
Brittany Marquardt lived next door to one of the Daugherty’s rental properties — a home that Marquardt would later describe in court testimony as smelling heavily of mold and existing in “a state of disrepair.” In January 2024, a landmark lawsuit filed by the City of St. Louis revealed that the home and dozens of others were condemned. The tenants were vulnerable people, many homeless, whom Daugherty had recruited in shelters and soup kitchens.
Marquardt was one of several residents on Virginia Avenue who ultimately testified after the city sued Daugherty. But a year after the filing, Marquardt said she is still waiting to see justice for the people — her now-former neighbors — exploited in the scheme.
Marquardt moved to the block about five years ago. She soon noticed Daugherty’s tenants next door struggling to get by in the decrepit house. She was also struck by the way Daugherty appeared to use those tenants to carry out evictions.
“[Daugherty] would never enter the properties,” Marquardt told St. Louis on the Air. “She would just pull up, honk her horn, yell at them to come out, and they would go off to clear out a home. … She would just lock them out of housing and then remove all of their things, and then all of the furniture would just be sprinkled into our alley as the month progressed.”
Marquardt said that she and other block residents tried to offer assistance, but they eventually took their concerns to the city’s health department. Even then, the people living in squalor in Daugherty’s buildings were often unwilling to talk to anyone but their landlord.
“I had social workers come to the door after numerous attempts and phone calls,” Marquardt said. “Dara told them that they could be arrested if they let anyone in or spoke with anyone. So they were afraid of the help.”
Marquardt still sees former tenants wandering the streets around the neighborhood.
“The majority of them have just been shuffled to another one of [Daugherty’s] properties that hasn't been shut down by the city,” she said. “Our neighbors were really amazing people. They would give you absolutely anything and do anything to help out. I made that known when I didn't want them removed from our neighborhood, because they're an integral part of our neighborhood. They're part of the fabric, and it's hard for us to keep an eye on each other when they're removed.”
St. Louis Magazine reporter Ryan Krull investigated Daugherty’s real estate empire for the Riverfront Times in 2024. Last month, he reported on Daugherty’s latest move: a bankruptcy filing that puts the city’s suit against her on hold. Krull warned she likely has additional rooming houses untouched by the city’s lawsuit.
“The city's neighborhood stabilization officers, the health department, they're strapped for resources,” he said. “They can concentrate their fire on one property, maybe get all her tenants out of there. But she has dozens of others that she can move them over to. It becomes a game of whack-a-mole, because she's got a big portfolio of properties.”
To hear the full conversation with Brittany Marquardt and St. Louis Magazine reporter Ryan Krull, including updates on how Dara Daugherty's bankruptcy filing complicates St. Louis’ lawsuit against her, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
