A Chicago tax lawyer has been accused of subjecting his wife to a hidden "campaign of abuse and terror," as revealed in court filings discovered following her death. Caitlin Walch Tracey, 36, was found dead on October 27 in the stairwell of her partner Adam Beckerink's upscale South Loop apartment, according to documents seen by the Daily Mail.
Caitlin's body was found what police described as "pulverized" and missing a foot. Chicago police responded to the scene and detained Beckerink, 46, who had reported his wife missing the day before. However, he was released after 48 hours without any charges being filed. However, things have seen taken an ugly turn.
A Murder Shrouded in Mystery
In the weeks following Caitlin's death, her grieving parents, retired real estate developer Andrew Tracey, 69, and college professor Dr. Monica Tracey, 65, found themselves in a legal battle with Beckerink over custody of their daughter's remains.
Beckerink, a former partner at the international law firm Duane Morris, had been married to Caitlin for six months and argued that, as her surviving spouse, he had the right to claim her body.
On November 6, however, her parents accused Beckerink of subjecting Caitlin to a "campaign of abuse and terror" in the final months of her life. The allegations included claims that he threw a glass pickle jar at her head and poured vodka on her injuries.
According to the Traceys, Caitlin was in a relationship with Beckerink from October 2022 to September 2023, but the couple did not live together or have children. After their brief separation, they reconciled and were married in a private ceremony on April 8, 2024, without any involvement from Caitlin's family.
Amid the contentious dispute over custody of Caitlin's remains, her parents accused Beckerink of "manipulating" their daughter, "purposefully isolating her from her family," and being responsible for her "tragic and highly suspicious death."
To support their claims, Caitlin's Michigan-based family presented a withdrawn petition she had filed with Cook County Court a year before her death, in which she sought a restraining order against Beckerink.
In the filing dated October 4, 2023, Caitlin described three instances of violent assaults by her husband.
One incident, she claimed, occurred on July 11, 2023, around 3 PM, when Beckerink allegedly stripped her naked and attacked her at her three-story home in New Buffalo, located along Lake Michigan. Her parents said Caitlin had chosen to live there to stay close to them and distance herself from her partner.
A Difficult Relationship and Marriage
Caitlin said that she managed to flee on foot after the July 11 attack, though her husband later took her to the hospital to treat an "open head wound."
In another alleged incident on August 21, 2023, Caitlin claimed she narrowly escaped another violent assault, this time at Beckerink's upscale apartment in Chicago's Grand Luxury Condos, the same location where her body was ultimately discovered.
According to her court filing, the altercation began around 8 AM with an argument, during which Beckerink launched a barrage of abusive, profanity-laden insults at her. Caitlin alleges he "verbally abused" her by calling her a "cheater", a "wh***", a "piece of s***, "liar" and a "b****" before escalating to a physical assault.
In her filing, Caitlin described a third alleged incident that occurred on September 20, 2023, in her room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Chicago's Magnificent Mile area. She said that her husband barged into the room around 5:30 PM, verbally assaulted her, and then attempted to "sexually abuse" her.
While Caitlin did not explain why she was staying at the hotel or elaborate on the specifics of the alleged sexual abuse, she mentioned filing a police report for domestic battery.
"I believe if Beckerink knew I was here trying to get an Emergency Order of Protection, he would try and stop me, or I would be at risk of further abuse," Tracey wrote in her bid for the restraining order.
Caitlin's parents claimed that after filing the petition, Beckerink found out about it and threatened her with lawsuits for defamation and libel, leading her to withdraw the request "out of fear."
Although she never obtained the restraining order, the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office charged Beckerink on January 13, 2024, with four counts of larceny, interference with electronic communications, and domestic violence against Tracey.
Later, on August 19, 2024, additional charges were filed against him, including two counts of resisting and obstructing law enforcement, further interference with electronic communications, and more counts of domestic violence, according to Tracey's parents.
Unfortunately, the charges came too late for Caitlin. Her body was found by the building manager of Beckerink's condo after a shocked resident reported finding a severed foot in the stairwell.
Police arrived at the scene at 7:20 PM on October 27 and informed the family that, "based on the condition of the remains," Tracey appeared to have fallen approximately 24 floors.
Her heartbroken parents said officers explained that "due to the height of the fall," their daughter's body had been "pulverized," and one of her feet had been completely severed.
According to a police report, Beckerink was detained and questioned but later released. In their petition, Caitlin's parents said officers told them at the time that he was considered the "primary suspect."
