This. A thousand times this. Presuming this is St. Louis City Proper.

I went to high school with Sam Dotson, the STL Chief of Police. Sam's got enough on his plate with "The Knockout Game", Saint Michael of Ferguson BLM spillover, murder, and general urban decay on the northern 2/3ds of the city; bicycle thieves are right there with complaints about excessive Bosnian BBQ smoke as far as priorities of effort.

Glad you got your bike back and a C-note was the best course of action with a child in tow.