Two suspects detained after missing child remains discovered
Law enforcement officials detained a father and a second suspect following a missing child discovery
Police arrested two people in connection with a long-running missing child investigation after discovering human remains in Stookey Township, Illinois, on Wednesday. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Desloge Police Department stated that the recovery of the unidentified child is linked to a parental kidnapping case initiated two years ago. Authorities took the child’s father and a second suspect into custody on charges of parental kidnapping and harassment.
PEOPLE reported that the complex case originally began in July 2024 when the child’s mother submitted a report to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The mother informed officers that the child was last seen with the father in May 2024, at which time both parents shared legal custody. During subsequent police interviews regarding the whereabouts of the child, the father claimed the youth was living with an Amish community in Mississippi and asserted that he had recently visited them.
Detectives identified an unnamed person of interest and applied for parental kidnapping charges with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office in early 2025. The Desloge Police Department joined the active investigation in June 2026 when the mother filed an additional police report. A joint operation between the two police departments ultimately located the remains in Illinois, though officials withheld the specific evidence that directed them to the Stookey Township site.
The Desloge Police Department issued a warrant for 32-year-old father Ronnell Marquese Jones, who was arrested on June 30, 2026. Authorities issued a separate warrant for 35-year-old Kirstie Dora, arresting her on July 2, 2026, though her exact relationship to the child remains unconfirmed. The St. Clair County Coroner’s Office is currently conducting examinations to identify the remains. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released an official statement extending deep sympathies to the family while acknowledging the profound grief, frustration, and unanswered questions experienced by the mother.