Court records say the 3-year-old left an apartment alone before falling from an 11th-floor hallway window.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A 26-year-old St. Louis father has been charged after prosecutors said his 3-year-old son left an 11th-floor apartment alone and fell from an open hallway window at Parkview Apartments.
Tarvis T. Phenix Jr. faces one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death in the April 10 death of his son, Tarvis Phenix III, known to relatives as T-3. The charge places the case in St. Louis Circuit Court after police reviewed surveillance video and court documents described an hourlong gap between the father leaving the building and returning to the apartment.
The incident began late April 9 at Parkview Apartments, a high-rise in the Central West End neighborhood. Court records say Phenix left the 11th-floor apartment at 11:52 p.m., took the elevator to the first floor and left the building. About 44 minutes later, at 12:36 a.m., the child walked out of the apartment alone and began moving through the 11th floor. Investigators said he entered the elevator lobby, where two open windows had built-in benches beneath them. At 12:44 a.m., the boy climbed onto one of the benches, looked out the window, moved onto the ledge and fell. The court account said the window opened to a straight drop to concrete at ground level.
Police were first called for a missing child after Phenix returned and found the boy gone, according to reports based on police and court records. Officers later found the child dead outside the back of the apartment building. Investigators said Phenix returned to the complex at 12:51 a.m. and reached the apartment at 12:53 a.m. Public reports have not said whether another adult was inside the apartment when Phenix left, whether the apartment door was locked or how the child opened it. The records also have not said whether the hallway windows were supposed to be secured. The criminal case centers on the allegation that Phenix knowingly created a substantial risk to the child by leaving him unsupervised in the high-rise apartment.
Family members said the child and his father were visiting the apartment of Andrea Armour, the boy’s great-aunt. Armour said she was not home at the time, but Phenix had a spare key because he often checked on her due to health issues. Armour said she had raised concerns before about hallway windows in the building. “These hallway windows, they stay open, they don’t lock, there’s no screen, none of that,” Armour said. Officials have not announced any finding that building conditions caused the death, and the charge filed against Phenix does not accuse the property owner of a crime. Investigators have not publicly released the surveillance video.
The Parkview Apartments property is listed by the St. Louis Housing Authority at 4451 Forest Park Avenue. The authority describes Parkview as an apartment building in the Central West End with 295 studio and one-bedroom units near Forest Park, BJC Medical Center and neighborhood shops. The housing authority says it manages the building and offers public housing and voucher programs across St. Louis. After the child’s death, the agency said it was conducting its own review along with the police investigation. The case drew attention because the fall happened from a common hallway area, not from inside a private unit, according to the account described in court records.
Under Missouri law, first-degree child endangerment can apply when a person knowingly acts in a way that creates a substantial risk to the life, body or health of a child under 17. When the conduct results in a child’s death, the offense is listed as a Class A felony. Phenix was charged Tuesday, April 21. Prosecutors must prove the allegation in court, and Phenix is presumed innocent unless convicted. Public reports did not list a plea, an attorney statement or the next scheduled court hearing. Police and prosecutors have not announced additional charges in connection with the open windows or the apartment building.
Relatives gathered after the child’s death for a balloon release outside the apartment complex. Family members described T-3 as bright, loved and full of energy. Terance Hardy, a relative, said the boy was “just a ball of life” and wanted people to remember his intelligence. Armour called the death painful for the family and said the apartment had been a familiar place for the child. The gathering came before the charge was announced, when relatives were still waiting for investigators to explain how the child reached the window and why he was alone. The boy’s death also left family members asking about building safety while the criminal case focused on supervision.
As of Sunday, April 26, the case remained active in St. Louis courts. Police and the St. Louis Housing Authority had not released final findings on the hallway windows, and no public report had announced another charge tied to the child’s death.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, April 26, 2026.