Ferguson, Missouri, resident Storm Burris was the victim of a false eviction, leaving her with no belongings.
Burris, a mother of two, returned home to find her apartment emptied and her belongings dumped in trash bags outside her door. The incident happened at the Renewal Heights Apartments complex in Ferguson. Burris and her children were left with nothing but questions about what went wrong.
Burris had dropped her children off at school. She expected to return to a normal afternoon but was unprepared for what she discovered. Nearly all of her possessions were removed from the home. They were placed in trash bags and strewn about the hallway leading to her unit.
“I came home, and everything … it was everywhere,” she told KSDK. “They were pointing to the trash can. When I took a good look at it, it was all my babies’ stuff in it, and I was in shock.”
Sources say the mix-up occurred during a failed maintenance or eviction process. Renewal Heights staff cleared the wrong unit despite Burris having paid her rent in full. Local tenant advocates were outraged. The false eviction is a violation of the legal protections provided to tenants. Many Missouri jurisdictions require landlords to provide notice before disposing of items that have value.
For Burris, the loss isn’t just about property. Her life has been greatly inconvenienced, creating instability for her children. Furthermore, the family suffered the loss of irreplaceable keepsakes, including childhood pictures and mementos.
Property management offered to give Burris $5,000 and one month free on her next month’s rent. Still, she believes the amount is far too low as her apartment contained valuable items.
“My son’s bedroom set, two new generation iPads, my son and daughter had cars they could drive when they could charge them up, Pandora jewelry, Kay jewelry, a safe, and I had an engagement ring that was $2,000 alone,” she said.
Burris has launched a GoFundMe to help replace the items she lost.
“I do everything I am supposed to do, and this just really set me back a lot,” she said. “I believe this story needs to be heard because it shows how easily families can lose everything through no fault of their own, and how little accountability exists when a landlord or eviction team makes such a catastrophic mistake. I am asking for accountability, community support, and a chance to rebuild my life for my children.”
Police have labeled the incident a burglary, but no official suspects have been identified.
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