Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, you can find resources and discreet ways to get help on the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or by calling 1-800-799-7233.
CHICAGO (WGN) — The estranged husband of a Michigan woman found dead in the stairwell of a luxury high-rise building in Chicago is now charged with her murder one year later.
36-year-old Caitlin Tracey was found dead on Oct. 27, 2024 around 7:20 p.m. at the bottom of a stairwell in Adam Beckerink’s building in the 1200 block of South Prairie Avenue in the South Loop.
According to investigators, a tenant found Tracey’s severed foot, which led to the discovery of her body. She also suffered severe trauma, including multiple skull and rib fractures.
Beckerink, an attorney, was considered a suspect in her death but never charged until Monday. A copy of a felony complaint obtained by NewsNation affiliate WGN alleges he threw Tracey over the railing of the 24th floor of the building’s east stairwell.
Court records show a warrant out of Cook County for Beckerink’s arrest has been issued. It is not clear when he may be extradited from Michigan, where he is currently incarcerated, to answer to the new murder charge.
One week ago, a judge in Berrien County sentenced Beckerink to 93 days in jail, followed by two years of probation, on charges stemming from two 2024 incidents at Tracey’s New Buffalo home. He is expected to finish his jail sentence on Jan. 3, 2026.
Beckerink pleaded no contest to domestic violence and interference charges, and pleaded guilty to contempt of court for violating his bond. He was also charged with resisting arrest, which was dropped as part of a plea deal.
Beckerink’s bond violation was a result of his failure to show at a pre-trial hearing in Michigan just one week before Tracey’s death. In March he was taken into custody by Chicago police, as a fugitive from justice, and ordered back to Michigan.
Beckerink’s defense attorney, John Brayman, spoke to reporters after his March hearing and claimed his client had “nothing to do” with Tracey’s death.
During the sentencing hearing last week, Monica Tracey delivered an emotional victim impact statement about her daughter.
“The defendant pled no contest to this case so he could avoid describing the brutal acts and crimes he inflicted on Caitlin,” Monica Tracey said. “Judge, please know that our daughter never stood a chance against this brute. She was only 4’11”. She weighed 103 pounds.”
Tracey’s mother says she was hardworking, smart and loved by friends and family. She told a judge they did everything to try and save her from the ongoing abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of Beckerink.
“Instead of meeting our daughter for dinner, my husband and I visit her grave,” Monica Tracey said. “There is no justice that can heal our pain, no means to bring her back, or to take away the physical and mental brutality this monster caused her.
Monica Tracey said their family continues to cope with the ongoing grief and emotional toll of everything their daughter allegedly endured at the hands of Beckerink.
“It isn’t just her death that haunts us. It’s the slow-moving destruction of her life. This is now our family’s ongoing trauma,” Monica Tracey said. “We are broken. We now live an unimaginable, emotionally devastating life. There is no expiration date on our sorrow.”
Tracey and Beckerink were married six months. While she had her New Buffalo home before and during her marriage, her parents said she had stayed with them for a period of time, fearing Beckerink would hurt her.
“In the end the coercive control he had over her was too great, and she was lost, and we feared for our safety, the safety of our other daughter, our son-in-law, and our young grandson,” said Monica Tracey.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation into Tracey’s death told WGN-TV her Michigan neighbors said Tracey expressed fear that Beckerink would kill her.
After Tracey died, a custody battle unfolded between her parents and Beckerink on who should have possession of her remains. A Michigan judge ultimately ruled in her parents’ favor, citing that Tracey was a resident of New Buffalo.
The legal battle has continued in the year after her death. Last week, the estate of Caitlin Tracey filed a petition in Michigan probate court, seeking to exclude Beckerink from any inheritance rights and to keep Tracey’s burial site private.
The petition filed by attorney Mowitt “Mitt” Drew III on behalf of the family, asks a judge to invoke Michigan’s version of the “slayer statute,” which prohibits a person who “feloniously and intentionally kills or is convicted of committing abuse, neglect, or exploitation with respect to the defendant” from profiting financially from that person’s death.
The law firm representing Tracey’s estate filed the petition three days after Beckerink was sentenced in Michigan.
“The sentencing does not address Caitlin’s death,” wrote Drew, “but it underscores the pattern of violence and control she suffered. The petition filed on Monday is one step towards justice and closure for her family.”
In a separate petition filed shortly after Tracey’s death, her parents alleged Beckerink contacted Chicago police the day before her body was found to make a missing persons report and that she had been staying with him that weekend.
The issues between the couple dated even further back, her family has said. In November 2023, Tracey obtained an order of protection against Beckerink in Cook County after several domestic violence reports to Chicago police.
Her parents claim she dropped the order of protection a month later because he threatened to sue her for defamation.
Many residents of the high-rise where Tracey was found dead, say the case has weighed heavily on their minds, and they hope her family gets justice.
“I just hope that this gives people a voice and it gives people the courage to speak up so this could be prevented, and this doesn’t happen again,” said resident Bruce Plummer. “I didn’t know her personally, but I knew the story and the backstory, and I think any time you hear about that domestic violence it hits home. It’s one of those things that unfortunately you don’t really hear about it until it happens very publicly.”
Tracey’s family released the following statement once the charges were announced:
“One year ago today, we learned that Caitlin Tracey, our beloved daughter and sister was found deceased at the bottom of a stairwell in Adam Beckerink’s Chicago, South Loop condominium building, having plummeted 24 stories. He will now be charged with her first-degree murder.
Only a week ago, the Adam Beckerink, a convicted felon, was sentenced in Michigan for interfering with Caitlin’s cell phone and a domestic violence committed against her. Today he sits in a Michigan jail for his actions.
Today’s charges of first-degree murder against Adam Beckerink is another big step in the path to obtain justice for Caitlin. We are very grateful for the dedicated work of the Chicago Police Department. Our family especially thanks Detective Michael Carroll, the lead detective and his team for their unceasing efforts on behalf of Caitlin. Our family is also deeply thankful to Cook County States Attorney, Eileen O’Neill Burke who has made cases involving domestic violence, such as Caitlin’s, a law enforcement priority. Both the Chicago police department and Ms. O’Neil Burke’s office have been tireless in their efforts to obtain justice on behalf of Caitlin.
We dearly miss Caitlin as do her friends. Our family hopes that during the murder case against Adam Beckerink, that the truth about the last months of Caitlin’s life and the events leading to her tragic death are revealed, so our wonderful daughter can finally be laid to rest.”
If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 1-888-799-7233. You can also text BEGIN to 88788.