EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Police in suburban St. Louis have detained a 15-year-old dressed in a clown outfit in connection with a fatal stabbing on Monday.

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According to the Illinois State Police, officers with the East St. Louis Police Department responded at about 10 p.m. CT Monday to a report of a body in the roadway, KSDK reported.

St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the victim Tuesday as John Wesley Allen Sr., 78, of St. Louis, according to the television station. Dye said Allen died of multiple stab wounds.

The teen suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday by the state police, KMOV reported.

Ring doorbell video posted on social media, with a timestamp of Aug. 3 at 9:11 p.m. CT, shows a person dressed as a clown at a home in East St. Louis leaving an audio message: “I’ve been looking for you.”

Lee Palmer told the television station that his mother was home alone when the person appeared on their front porch. He said the individual stayed on the property for several minutes before going behind the house, KMOV reported.

“I couldn’t believe it. He was dressed in the clown outfit,” Palmer told the television station. “That was kind of spooky for her.”

Neighbors told KSDK they saw the teenager going door to door in the area, peering into windows and carrying a large knife.

State police announced the arrest of a 15-year-old suspect they believed was the person seen on the surveillance video wearing the clown costume, KMOV reported.

Authorities have not released details about what led to the killing, what brought the teen to the neighborhood, or whether the suspect lived in the area, according to the television station.

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