ST. LOUIS — A woman found dead in a north St. Louis alley is the same woman who was kidnapped in Clayton just hours before, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Thursday.
The brother of the victim tells 5 On Your Side a family member witnessed her being forced into a car in Clayton before her death. St. Louis police said they believed the woman was forced to drive from Clayton and throughout various parts of St. Louis.
The body of the victim was found at 11 a.m. in an alley in the 4700 block of Greer Avenue after officers responded to calls for a shooting in the area.
Police and family members identified the victim as 37-year-old Michelle Hampton to 5 On Your Side. Michelle's brother, Mike Potter, said she was taken by individuals in a vehicle at around 7:15 a.m. when she was leaving for work.
"She was a good person. She wasn't messed up in bad stuff. I don't know how she got caught up in this," Potter said.
A preliminary investigation revealed the woman was reportedly kidnapped earlier on Wednesday by an armed suspect from Whitburn Drive in Clayton, SLMPD said. Police believe the crime was a targeted act of violence and not random.
A family member said they witnessed two men exiting a vehicle near Michelle's residence on Whitburn Drive in Clayton, putting her in the vehicle, and stealing Michelle's vehicle.
Michelle's vehicle was reportedly recovered by police soon after the shooting, the police department said. Officers also seized another vehicle of interest Wednesday night.
Michelle's twin sister, Samantha, lived with Michelle and was driving down the street when the abduction took place, Potter said. She tried to stop the men and drove after them before the assailants shot her car with her kids inside at Euclid and Enright in North St. Louis. No one was injured.
5 On Your Side's Megan Kernan spoke to the family moments after they learned that their sister was the same woman found dead earlier that afternoon.
"We were told by officers inside that they drove her around a couple different ATMs and made her withdraw money before they shot her five times in the head in the alley," Potter said.
Police confirmed that shots were fired in that area on Wednesday morning and said the incidents were connected, but did not confirm further details.
"I wouldn't think it's some random people because why choose my sister? It has to be somebody that knows my sister," said Potter.
The crime scene on Greer Avenue, where her body was found, is between Hickey Elementary School and North Side Community Elementary School.
A Hickey Elementary School representative told 5 On Your Side the school went into a soft lockdown and stopped outdoor recess in response to the shooting. That lockdown has since been lifted.
A North Side Community Elementary School representative said it was not informed about the shooting nor the investigation until 5 On Your Side contacted them.
No suspects have been caught yet. St. Louis Police and Clayton Police are both investigating the incident that remains ongoing.
The family set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help raise money for funeral expenses.
