ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo — St. Charles County is investigating a sudden death at the juvenile detention center. Officials said the 17-year-old was found dead in his bed Thursday morning during rounds.
“I understand he was out playing basketball yesterday afternoon. He was at dinner last night and by all indications, everything was fine. So you can imagine how shocked everyone was to discover that he was deceased this morning. It’s terrible,” said Judge Chris McDonough.
Peggy Davis said the 17-year-old is her son, Romeo Calhoun. She said her son suffers from multiple mental health conditions. Davis had plans to see him Thursday afternoon.
“He had been there for 10 days without his medication, even though he needed it and was fine. Nothing was wrong,” said Davis. “I was trying to get my son home so that I could provide for him what I needed to provide for him. Unfortunately, the judge decided to keep my son in a detention facility.”
Judge McDonough said each juvenile has their own room. He said legally, they can not share the reason why Calhoun was in the detention center.
“At this time, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest any foul play. The young man did appear to die in his sleep overnight. We do not know what the cause of death is. It’ll take some time—several days to possibly weeks—for the medical examiner to make that determination,” said Judge McDonough.