St. Louis has been struck by tragedy following the violent death of 81-year-old Fannie Allred, recently victorious over stage 2 colon cancer, who was found stabbed in her home. In a somber twist, the suspect in custody is her own grandson, Ronald Allred, age 37. As KSDK reports, Fannie was discovered on Sunday morning by her daughter with multiple stab wounds. Allred's two French bulldogs were also injured in the incident but are expected to survive.
After a manhunt that covered multiple jurisdictions and culminated in a standoff at a gas station, Ronald Allred was taken into custody. According to Hawaii News Now, a St. Louis County officer, fired a shot that ended up hitting his own patrol car during an initial encounter with the suspect. The suspect fled but was later found barricaded in his truck, Ronald was eventually arrested with the assistance of SWAT teams using non-lethal measures.
Ronald Allred faces a list of charges including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, two counts of animal abuse, and resisting arrest, per information from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office shared by FOX2now. He is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. After his arrest, county police have claimed that he confessed to the stabbings during an interview with detectives.
In remembrance of Fannie Allred, the community has expressed immense grief. "I couldn’t even sleep last night it was hurting me so bad. She felt like family. We have been friends for over 30 years," Carolyn Johnson, a long-time neighbor of Fannie, told Hawaii News Now. Meanwhile, granddaughter Jermayor Allred said to KSDK, "She was loved by everyone," highlighting the shock and despair over the loss of a woman who seemed to embody resilience and generosity.
The family is left to reconcile their memories of a caring matriarch with the violent manner of her passing. Fannie Allred, a widow since 2018, was known for her acts of kindness, welcoming strangers to her table and maintaining doors open for her children and the community, as her son Ronald Allred Jr. reminisced in an interview with KSDK. The shockwaves of this tragedy ripple through the St. Louis community, as an investigation into the exact motives and circumstances of the crime continues.
