Jail Deaths

The mother of Samuel Lamont Hayes Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit against St. Louis and other defendants over the death of her son.

City officials confirmed Tuesday that Doug Burris will leave the role when his short-term contract expires. He took the position on an interim basis in January.

The family of Samuel Hayes Jr., a 31-year-old who died at the St. Louis City Justice Center on Saturday evening, says he wasn’t resisting arrest when he was put in a restraint chair.

31-year-old Samuel Hayes Jr. became the 20th person to die in custody at the St. Louis City Justice Center over the weekend.

A dead body left for hours and juvenile detainees mixed with adults: Leaked records reveal how St. Louis’ jail saw an alleged crisis just before its top leader was forced out.

Samuel Hayes Jr., 31, died while being detained at the St. Louis City Justice Center on Saturday.

The inmate was found unresponsive after being treated for suspected seizures one day before the death. The City Justice Center has had three times as many deaths as similar jails in Kansas City and St. Louis County since 2020.

The jail director, who reports to St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, was known to be at odds with the city's Detention Facility Oversight Board over the lack of transparency and conditions at the City Justice Center.

City public safety officials say their reporting of jail deaths earlier this year excluded one person because that individual was arrested but not considered a detainee at the city jail.

A criminal complaint alleges that guards pepper-sprayed Othel Moore Jr., placed a mask over his face and left him in a position that caused him to suffocate.