Roll of Honor
Incident
Guard Eli Jenkins was stabbed to death by one of two inmates who were attempting to escape from the Missouri State Penitentiary. The 22-year-old inmate who stabbed him was sentenced to prison in 1915 to serve a six-year sentence for burglary. He was convicted of Guard Jenkins' murder and sentenced to life. He died in prison on April 7th, 1926. Guard Jenkins had served with the Missouri State Penitentiary for 25 years and was one of the oldest serving officers.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-080A0B12- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
25 years. You could have gone home.
Prison Guard Jenkins gave the Missouri Department of Corrections 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Missouri. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Prison Guard Jenkins.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Prison Guard Eli Jenkins is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Missouri Department of Corrections, 9 of 20 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 45% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eli Jenkins's cause is highlighted.
How Eli Jenkins Compares
Offender Outcome
Died in prison
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Eli Jenkins is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Eli Jenkins was killed by edged weapon.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
19 officers from Missouri Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
