3-year-old fell to his death from apartment window when father stepped out for a cigarette, police say

1 hour ago

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) — A 3-year-old boy died after he fell out of a third-floor apartment window while his father stepped outside to smoke a cigarette, police said.

Apartment Window Death Image

St. Louis police said 3-year-old Travis Jr., known by his nickname T-3, fell from a window at Parkview Apartments early Friday morning.

Police said officers were first called to the apartment for a missing child. They said T-3’s father left the apartment to smoke a cigarette, and when he returned, the child was missing.

Andrea Armour, T-3’s great aunt, said the tragedy happened at her apartment.

“It was my apartment; I wasn’t at home. It was my apartment, where they were at. They were visiting me,” Armour said.

Although Armour said she was not at home at the time, she said the child’s father has a spare key since he often comes to check on her due to her health issues.

She said the apartment has several safety concerns that she has reported in the past.

“These hallway windows, they stay open, they don’t lock, there’s no screen, none of that,” Armour said.

The property is owned by the St. Louis Housing Authority, which will conduct its own investigation, as well as city police.

It is still unclear exactly which window T-3 fell from, whether it was one inside Armour’s apartment unit or one in the hallway. Family members said they are still waiting for answers and asking for privacy as they grieve.

“We don’t need all the rumors going around, we don’t need all the heartbreak … Just breaking down, I don’t have words, when I talk to my niece, I said I don’t know what to say,” a family member said.

Family members gathered Sunday to remember T-3’s life and host a balloon release.