EAST ST. LOUIS, IL — A St. Louis man has been charged in connection with fires that swept through two Illinois massage businesses early Oct. 19, leaving one person dead and drawing a federal arson case in southern Illinois. Investigators say Quentin Hanks admitted setting fires at One Spa and Fuji Super Spa after becoming angry following a sexual encounter.
The criminal complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, says Hanks is accused of using a lighter to ignite couches at both locations. Federal agents later found a lighter in his vehicle, according to an affidavit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The fires were reported about 3 a.m., and one of the buildings was later destroyed in the blaze.
ATF says the suspect linked the fire to a sexual encounter
According to the affidavit, Hanks told investigators he was upset after a sexual encounter at One Spa. Agents say he admitted setting a couch on fire in the waiting room after paying for sexual services and becoming angry when he was unable to complete the act.
The affidavit says Hanks told investigators he had used marijuana and was frustrated with the encounter. It also says he did not warn anyone inside either business before leaving One Spa, even though he believed people might still be there. Investigators say that account became a central part of the arson complaint filed in federal court.
Hanks is charged with arson, and the filing describes the case as a federal investigation into both fires and the death that followed. The complaint and affidavit were used to piece together where he went next and how the second fire began.
Fuji Super Spa collapsed before firefighters could stop the blaze
Firefighters were called to Fuji Super Spa after the fire was reported around 3 a.m., but the building was already fully engulfed when they arrived. According to the complaint, the roof collapsed and walls fell as the flames spread through the business.
Seven people escaped from the structure, but the owner told firefighters that another woman was missing. Authorities recovered her body from the debris more than 24 hours later, on Oct. 20. The complaint does not identify the woman, and St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. said an autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
Investigators say the conditions inside the building made the search difficult, and the discovery of the remains turned the case from a suspected arson investigation into a deadly fire probe. The federal filing says the death occurred in connection with the fire at the second business.
Investigators say Hanks moved from one spa to the other
After the first fire, investigators say Hanks drove to Fuji Super Spa and entered through an unlocked customer service door. The complaint says he then set a couch in the waiting room on fire there as well.
Federal authorities say Hanks told them he went to Fuji Super Spa because the masseuse who had failed to provide him with sexual gratification also worked there. The affidavit says he believed people might still be inside when he set the second fire.
The complaint describes a deliberate sequence of events rather than a single isolated blaze. By the time responders reached the second location, the damage had already become severe enough to collapse part of the structure and make rescue efforts more difficult.
Witnesses, surveillance and a vehicle search helped identify Hanks
Investigators say witnesses helped connect Hanks to the case. One employee identified him from a state-issued photograph and said she knew him from previous visits. That employee also told investigators she had let him sleep in the back of the spa because he was intoxicated.
Another employee described Hanks as a white male with a missing finger who worked as a bartender. Federal agents also say they tied him to a phone number given by witnesses and reviewed surveillance video showing a purchase he made at the Flying J travel center in Cahokia Heights around 2:48 a.m.
Agents later found the lighter in Hanks’ vehicle, according to the affidavit. Those details helped investigators build the timeline of his movements before and after the fires and connect him to both businesses.
The two businesses share ownership records in St. Clair County
Fuji Super Spa and One Spa are two of three massage parlors in the area owned by RGK Properties, according to St. Clair County property records. The company’s address matches one listed online for a St. Louis pawnshop, though attempts to reach owner Ronald G. Kipilla were unsuccessful.
The complaint places the businesses within the same local ownership structure, but the federal case centers on what happened during the early-morning fires and the death that followed. So far, authorities have not identified the woman found in the debris in the criminal complaint.
The case remains a breaking news investigation in federal court, with additional details likely to emerge as prosecutors and investigators continue to review the fire scene, witness statements and forensic evidence.