Woman accused of stabbing MU student to death not yet evaluated for mental health commitment

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia woman who is accused of stabbing an MU student to death last year and burning the body in the backyard of a residence has not been evaluated yet by the Department of Mental Health.

Emma Adams, 22, was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with physical evidence and abandoning a corpse. She was committed to the DMH in November, but has been awaiting an evaluation. She was listed at No. 70 on the DMH’s waitlist in November, and has since moved up to No. 44. She has a hearing set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15.

She is still listed in on the Boone County Jail roster and has been held on a $1 million bond since her arrest.

Recently, the DMH has run into issues with the availability of beds at mental health facilities. In March, there were 314 people in Missouri jails awaiting treatment from the DMH. In addition, there were 268 people in March waiting for evaluations to determine if they are competent to stand trial. There were 297 people awaiting evaluations in November.

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

Police initially couldn't identify the body because of its condition. Samuel Clemons was eventually identified. He was 21.

The investigation started when University of Missouri police officers were sent to Hudson Hall at about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11 for a welfare check, which led them to the 2400 block of Bentley Court in north Columbia. Officers found the body there and called Columbia police for a homicide investigation, according to a Columbia Police Department social media post.

Adams allegedly told police she stabbed Clemons in self-defense.