Lamond A. Lampkin, 30, of Centreville, Illinois, was found dead in the trunk of a burning car in St. Louis on Sunday, May 22, 2011. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated his death. The Washington Post's homicide database, which tracked killings in St. Louis through 2017, lists it as a homicide that remained open with no arrest.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the discovery under the headline "Man found dead in trunk of burning car in St. Louis," and later identified the victim as Lamond A. Lampkin, 30, of Centreville. Only that headline and the identification survive in the material available for this review. The accounts do not say who reported the fire, what time the car was found, what kind of car it was, how Lampkin died, or whether he was dead before the fire was set.
No suspect description, vehicle sought, person of interest or motive has been made public, and no reward for information about his death appears in the available record.
Post-Dispatch stories that list his case as a related link, including reports of charges in other killings that week, are about other victims and do not point to an arrest in his death. An online listing on CrimeTea still lists his case as active.
Little about Lamond Lampkin's life has entered the public record. He lived across the Mississippi River in Centreville, a small community in St. Clair County, Illinois, next to East St. Louis. No obituary, memorial page or family statement about him could be found for this account. Public-records listings show other people with the same or a similar name in the Metro East area, which makes it harder to trace the man who died.
The way his body was found stands out. A man from Illinois was left in the trunk of a car that was then set on fire in the city, a sign that someone may have tried to destroy evidence. A burning car draws attention, and it is likely that neighbors, passing drivers or firefighters saw the car, the flames or someone leaving the scene.
The location recorded in the Post's database places his death in north St. Louis, west of Kingshighway Boulevard, a residential part of the city several miles northwest of downtown. People who lived in that area in late May 2011 may remember the fire and the police activity that followed.
St. Louis has long had one of the highest homicide rates of any large American city. The city recorded more than 100 homicides in every year of the early 2010s, and the yearly totals later climbed to 188 in 2015 and 205 in 2017. In many of those years, fewer than half of the city's killings ended in an arrest. Killings that cross the state line can be especially hard to solve, because the people who knew the victim may live far from where he was found.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Lamond A. Lampkin could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Lamond Lampkin in Centreville or East St. Louis, who saw him in the days before May 22, 2011, or who saw a burning car in north St. Louis that weekend, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division at 314-444-5371, or call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (866-371-8477), where tips can be anonymous.
