BROOKLYN, Ill. — Illinois State Police arrested 46-year-old Demario A. Ursery of East St. Louis on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in connection with the death of a 37-year-old woman found during a welfare check at an apartment in Brooklyn, authorities said.
Ursery was arrested by Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 6 special agents and charged with first-degree murder, a Class M felony, police said in a release dated May 14, 2026.
The investigation began May 12, 2026, when the Brooklyn Police Department and the St. Clair County Housing Authority Police requested state police assistance with a homicide investigation at an apartment in the 600 block of South 6th Street, the release said. Officers conducting a welfare check found the body of Dolnesha Jones, authorities said.
State police said special agents identified Ursery as the suspect and presented the case on May 14, 2026, to St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric, after which the charge was filed.
Ursery is being held at the St. Clair County Jail pending his first court appearance, police said. Authorities said no further information was available.
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.
