'Straight drop to the concrete': 3-year-old left home alone in 11th-floor apartment wandered into hallway, fell from window

A 26-year-old Missouri antheral is facing transgression charges aft helium allegedly near his 3-year-old lad location unsocial successful his flat wherever the kid — known to household arsenic "T-3" — wandered into a hallway and fell to his decease from an unfastened model connected the 11th floor.

Tarvis T. Phenix Jr. was arrested and charged with 1 number of first-degree endangering the payment of a child resulting successful decease successful transportation with the incidental that took spot earlier this period successful St. Louis, tribunal records show.

According to a probable origin affidavit, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to an flat successful the 4400 artifact of Forest Park Ave. successful the aboriginal greeting hours of April 10 regarding a study of a missing child. Phenix, who placed the call, told constabulary his young lad had disappeared. Officers soon located the lad dormant "outside the backmost of the apartment, having fallen to the pavement."

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators captured the moments starring up to the child's death.

Police accidental Phenix near the 11th-floor flat astatine 11:52 p.m., took the elevator downstairs, and drove distant from the complex. About 40 minutes later, astatine 12:36 a.m., the toddler exited the flat unsocial and began wandering the floor.

The kid made his mode to the elevator lobby, wherever 2 built-in benches were positioned underneath the ledges of 2 windows, some of which were open.

"At 12:44 a.m., the unfortunate climbed connected a seat successful the elevator lobby," the affidavit states. "The unfortunate looked retired the unfastened window, climbed connected the ledge and retired of the window, and past fell retired of the window. Outside of the model is simply a consecutive driblet to the factual astatine the crushed level."

Phenix returned to the analyzable astatine 12:51 a.m. and was backmost wrong his flat 2 minutes later, according to investigators.

Prosecutors allege Phenix "knowingly acted successful a mode that created a important risk" to the child's beingness by failing to supervise him successful the high-rise apartment, yet resulting successful his death.

Family members aboriginal identified the kid arsenic Tarvis Jr., affectionately known arsenic "T-3," and gathered to retrieve him successful the days pursuing the tragedy, according to a report from St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV.

Relatives described the toddler arsenic profoundly loved, portion besides raising concerns astir information conditions successful the building.

The child's great-aunt, Andrea Armour, told the presumption that hallway windows successful the analyzable "stay open" and deficiency locks oregon screens.

"These hallway windows, they enactment open, they don't lock, there's nary screen, nary of that," she said.

Authorities person not indicated that gathering conditions played a relation successful the transgression charge, which centers connected the allegation that the kid was near unsupervised.

The St. Louis Housing Authority, which owns the property, is conducting its ain probe alongside police.