Quincy Baker
Quincy Baker, 39, had paranoid schizophrenia and a long history of mental health treatment, and his mother, Sheila, had been his guardian since 2012. In September 2021 he voluntarily checked into the psychiatric ward at St. Louis University Hospital, and he later died on Sept. 5, 2021, at the St. Louis City Justice Center. The autopsy, as reviewed by KSDK, listed hanging as the cause of death and suicide as the manner, and court documents cited by a columnist describe a T-shirt tied around his neck and to a bar on the wall of an intake-area cell. A columnist argues that the hospital sent him to jail instead of continuing his care, and the city of St. Louis settled his mother's lawsuit in June 2026 for $500,000 with a confidentiality clause.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The autopsy ruled the death a suicide by hanging, and a columnist argues that the hospital sent him to the jail instead of continuing his mental health care.
Reported by: autopsy report; KSDK I-Team (reporters); court documents as cited by the columnist; his mother's lawsuit against the city (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother sued the city of St. Louis, and the lawsuit settled in June 2026 for $500,000 with a confidentiality clause.