Officers in St Louis County made the grim discovery after being called to carry out a welfare check on January 21, prompted by concerns from the building’s management.
According to a probable cause statement from the St Louis County Police Department, police entered the flat near North Hanley Road and found the woman’s body concealed under piles of blankets and clothes. Her remains were already decomposing.
She has not yet been publicly identified.
Neighbours told investigators they had not seen her since mid-December. Her last Facebook post was dated December 15, 2025. Property managers also reported she had fallen behind on rent, per Fox2 Now.
Detectives said a man, Terrance Smith, had been seen at the apartment the night before that final social media activity. Some of his belongings were later found inside the home, but he could not be located at the time.
Weeks later, on February 2, management contacted police again after Smith returned to the property. Officers arrested him at the scene.
Police said Smith admitted he had been living in the apartment with the woman.
Smith has been charged with one count of abandonment of a corpse remains in custody on a $100,000 cash bond.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a bond reduction hearing on February 10, followed by a preliminary hearing on March 4.