ILLINOIS STATE POLICE ARRESTS EAST ST. LOUIS MAN FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2026
March 4, 2026
EAST ST. LOUIS – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 6 Public Safety Enforcement Group Special Agents arrested 30-year-old Corey C. Ayers of East St. Louis for First Degree Murder (Class M Felony).
On April 1, 2025, the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis requested ISP’s assistance with a homicide investigation. The victim, 22-year-old Jamya T. Dukes of Granite City, was dropped off at Touchette Regional Hospital with a gunshot wound and was later pronounced deceased. The location of the shooting was not initially known, but an extensive investigation by the Major Case Squad traced the location of the shooting to the 700 block of Veronica Avenue in East St. Louis and Ayers was identified as a suspect.
On March 2, 2026, ISP Special Agents and the Major Case Squad presented the case to St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric, who approved one count of First Degree Murder and issued an arrest warrant. On March 3, 2026, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, ISP Special Agents located Ayers and took him into custody. Ayers is held at the St. Clair County Jail pending his first court appearance. There is no further information available at this time.
The charge is not evidence against the defendant, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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