According to police and court documents, a fugitive wanted in connection with the killing of his 21-year-old girlfriend—a metro-east woman whose throat was cut and her body burned in north St. Louis—has been charged with murder.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reported that Kiya Holt-Biggs’ body was discovered on Saturday. Her hometown is listed as Granite City in a police department press release and Pontoon Beach in an obituary. Based on a probable cause statement and an at-large arrest warrant, 21-year-old Zaveon Alexander Mills was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in relation to Holt-Biggs’ death.
Mills was still at large and most likely left St. Louis “and possibly the state of Missouri, to avoid arrest,” according to a press release issued by St. Louis Metropolitan Police on Wednesday. They verified on Thursday morning that Mills had been apprehended and is still being held. There were no more information about his arrest.
The Wojstrom Funeral Home & Crematory in Granite City has not yet scheduled Holt-Biggs’ funeral services. A St. Louis detective’s probable cause statement accused Mills of the following: Surveillance footage shows Mills driving a car onto an empty lot in the 1200 block of Switzer Avenue in St. Louis on Saturday.
He “proceeds to slit Victim’s throat before getting back into the vehicle and driving away” after exiting the car and removing the victim from the trunk. A short while later, Mills is spotted clutching the victim’s handbag at a house “associated with his family.”
An hour or so later, Mills can be seen walking back toward the victim’s body. The statement claims that before departing the scene, the defendant “continues to use an aerosol can as an accelerant to light the body on fire.” Later, Mills is spotted visiting a residence in Illinois with bags that include the victim’s wallet, handbag, identification, and bloody clothing.
He was “acting erratic and hiding his hands,” according to witnesses. A witness was informed by Mills that “he was leaving town.” It is recommended that anyone with information on this case call the St. Louis Police Department’s Homicide Division at 314-444-5371. Anyone interested in a potential reward or who wishes to stay anonymous should contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).