St. Louis has long been known for having one of the highest murder rates in the country. An investigation by the Marshall Project brings to light a disturbing side note: A surprisingly high number of the city’s murders over the past decade remain unsolved. According to the joint investigation with St. Louis Public Radio and APM Reports, there were about 1,900 murders in the city from 2014 to 2023, with more than 1,000 of them still unsolved. “A review of 20 years of data and records reveals some of the reasons police have failed to solve so many murders, including sloppy investigative work, a lack of resources and a loss of community trust,” the article says, delving into the details of each of these factors.
The article also draws attention to racial inequality: Blacks make up 44% of the city’s population but account for 90% of the decade’s murders. And while police managed to solve about two-thirds of cases involving white victims, more than half of cases involving black victims remain unsolved. The story focuses on a seemingly gratuitous triple murder of three young women in the Fairgound neighborhood in 2017—and the harrowing statistic of 40 unsolved murders over the past decade within a half-mile of their residence. The now-retired detective who led the case was eventually reprimanded internally for failing to conduct even rudimentary research. One bright spot: The article notes that clearance rates improved in 2022 and 2023, the final two years of the decade studied. Read the full story. (Or read other detailed summaries.)
