Woman sets neighbor's apartment door on fire over noise dispute: Police

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A St. Louis County woman intentionally set her neighbor's apartment door on fire in retaliation to ongoing noise complaints, trapping a woman and her young child inside, police say.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has charged La'Kassha Sleydin, 48, with one arson and endangering the welfare of a child.

The charges stem from an apparent arson incident Monday morning at an undisclosed apartment complex in St. Louis County.

According to a St. Louis County Police Department probable cause statement, Sleydin had been upset with "noise levels" from an upstairs neighbor's apartment since January 2025 and filed several complaints to the apartment's owners.

On Monday, Sleydin allegedly took a tablecloth runner, nailed it to the front door of the neighbor's apartment and used a lighter to set the table cloth on fire.

The door to the apartment then caught on fire, trapping two residents - a woman and her young child - inside. The victim's mother arrived shortly afterward with plans to bring the child to daycare, and she called authorities when she saw the door on fire.

Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire upon arrival, and no injuries were reported.

According to the probable cause statement, Sleydin admitted to knowing the victims were home and that setting the fire was her way of "sending a message and getting back to them."

A warrant was served for Sleydin's arrest on Tuesday. She has a preliminary hearing over her charges set for Oct. 20, per Missouri online court records.