Woman charged with murder in MU student’s death to remain committed to Department of Mental Health, has hearing set for January 2027

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman who is accused of killing a University of Missouri student and burning his body in 2023 is still not mentally fit to stand trial, according court documents filed on Monday.

Emma Adams, 24, of Columbia, is charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with evidence and abandoning a corpse in the death of Samuel Clemons.

Adams has been committed since November 2023, but hurdles occurred at the time for a mental evaluation. An evaluation on Jan. 21, 2025, determined that she was not mentally fit to stand trial, as was an evaluation on Sept. 29, 2025. Multiple continue orders for commitment were filed throughout the case.

A mental evaluation on May 27, 2026, determined she is still not fit to stand trial, which lead to Monday’s extended order. A hearing has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 25, 2027.

Adams was arrested and charged in January 2023 after an investigation that started at the University of Missouri led to police finding a burned body in a residential area far from campus.

Police initially couldn't identify Clemons’ body because of its condition. Clemons was 21 years old at the time of his death.

Previous reporting indicates the investigation started when University of Missouri police officers were sent to Hudson Hall at about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11, 2023, for a welfare check, which led them to the 2400 block of Bentley Court in north Columbia.

Officers found Clemons’ body there and called Columbia police for a homicide investigation. Adams allegedly claimed self-defense in the stabbing and burning.