Caitlin Walch Tracey (36) was found ‘pulverized’ and missing a foot in the stairwell of her partner’s condo on October 27, 2024. She had apparently fallen 20 floors to her death. Caitlin’s husband is Tax Attorney Adam Beckerink (46). He has been charged with domestic violence against Caitlin and he has also been accused of assaulting police officers.
At the time of this post, no charges have been filed against Adam in relation to Caitlin’s death.
As some background into the people involved, Caitlin was born on May 29, 1988. Her parents are Monica and Andrew, and she had an older sister Carly. Her family have said that she was a vibrant and bold force of nature. They said she had a sassy attitude and infectious energy.
As a child, Caitlin attended Our Lady of Sorrows Grade School and Mercy High School both in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She became a Spartan, attending Michigan State University, where she graduated in just 3 years with a Business Degree in Hospitality Management. After she graduated, she moved to Chicago and lived next door to her sister Carly. She loved cooking and traveling, as well as fashion and design.
Caitlin chose to work in the field of Data Analytics and was working in the role of Chief People Officer.
During the pandemic, Caitlin moved to a small town called New Buffalo in Michigan.
In terms of Adam’s background, there is a lot online about his career.
This article from 2016 gives you an idea about his career.
Adam Beckerink re-joined Baker & McKenzie as Counsel in Chicago on November 1 after working at Reed Smith, strengthening the state and local tax capabilities of Baker & McKenzie’s North America tax practice.
Beckerink assists businesses and individuals on a broad range of state tax planning and dispute resolution matters, including audit, litigation and appellate practice in matters such as state False Claims Act tax defence, state tax refund class action defence, individual residency, telecommunications, excise tax and sales and income tax.
He regularly advises multinational enterprises on multi-state tax planning and the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, and he has resolved complex state tax matters before administrative appeal boards, tax tribunals and state courts across the US.
Beckerink began his legal career at the US Tax Court as an attorney adviser to special trial judge Stanley Goldberg and served as an associate at Baker & McKenzie from 2006 to 2008. In his 10 years of practice, he has written several articles on tax law and has lent his talents to pro bono matters, including representing veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Adam and Caitlin had begun dating in October 2022. Caitlin had been previously married. She met Adam as he lived in the same apartment complex in Chicago where she had lived with her ex.
The honeymoon period did not last long. One year after they met, Caitlin was granted an emergency protective order in Cook County against Adam, for which she submitted an affidavit detailing multiple occasions of physical and verbal abuse.
Caitlin’s parents would alleged that Adam
“manipulated (Tracey) and purposefully isolated her from her family so that he could continue his campaign of abuse and terror unnoticed,” with the records saying that Caitlin had told them in September 2023 that Adam had held her hostage and physically brutalized her to the point where she required medical attention.
In October 2023 in court documents, Caitlin outlined three instances of abuse by Adam.
She said that on July 11, 2023, at around 3 pm, Adam stripped her naked and attacked her at New Buffalo home.
‘(Beckerink) physically abused me by throwing a pickle jar, which struck me on my head, punching me, pushing me, pulling my hair, dragging me by my clothes, and stripping me out of my clothes,’ Caitlin wrote in the petition.
‘(He) also poured Vodka on my body, which burned my wounds, and would motion as if he was going to hit me with the alcohol bottle’.
Caitlin said she managed to escape on foot and that Adam later took her to hospital for treatment on her ‘open head wound.’
In a second alleged incident on August 21, 2023, Caitlin spoke about an argument that she had with Adam. They fought around 8 am and Caitlin alleged that 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.
‘(He) physically abused me by dragging me by my ankle, strangling me, suffocating me, slamming my head against a cabinet, slapping me, punching me, putting my head in a headlock, and dragging me away from the door to prevent me from leaving’ she wrote in the documents.
He then allegedly stole her ‘keys, wallet, iPad and phone’ to prevent her from leaving or seeking help. Caitlin said she escaped again by ‘fleeing on foot’, this time to the nearest police station.
Police went to Adam’s apartment and he refused to open the door.
The third incident happened at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago on September 20, 2023.
Caitlin said that Adam stormed into her room around 5:30 pm before hurling abuse at her and this time attempting to ‘sexually abuse’ her.
Caitlin did not give context about why she was at the hotel or go into detail about the sexual abuse, but said she filed a police report for domestic battery.
Her parents said it was around this time that Caitlin temporarily ended her relationship with Adam and opened up to them about the alleged violence.
She also said he had been trying to contact her ‘approximately 20 times a day’ either demanding to see her, or to verbally abuse her over the phone.
‘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,’ Caitlin wrote.
Despite this, in November 2023, Caitlin moved to vacate the order.
Her parents allege in court filings it was due to Adam threatening to sue her for “defamation and libel.”
On January 13, 2024, Adam was charged by the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office with four counts of larceny, interference with electronic communications and domestic violence against Caitlin.
Caitlin’s family and friends have said they do not know when the couple got back together, but on April 8 2024, they were married. None of Caitlin’s relatives went to the wedding.
Caitlin was close to a neighbor in New Buffalo named Joyce Lantz. They would communicate often and Joyce said that she had noticed cryptic texts and strange occurrences.
On August 19, 2024, Joyce said that there were “five or six” police cars outside Caitlin’s house. Adam was arrested that night for domestic violence, interfering with a 911 call and resisting and assaulting police officers, according to the arrest report obtained by the Tribune.
Joyce saw Adam being removed from the house in handcuffs and she texted Caitlin to ask if she could come over.
“She said yes, which surprised me, honestly, because you know, I felt like she was a pretty independent woman that just handled things on her own,” Joyce said. “And when I got down there, I walked up the steps to her home, to her front door, I went to hug her … she felt so small and tiny, and honestly, frail. Almost like a shell of what she used to be.”
Caitlin and Joyce spoke for hours that night and Joyce tried to convince her friend to leave the abusive relationship. Caitlin told Joyce and another friend that she wanted to “start her life over again here in Michigan” and “turn that corner.”
Just to note, Adam lived in the condo apartment still so it seems that Caitlin kept her New Buffalo home after their marriage.
Caitlin asked Joyce for recommendations in the area of places to get her hair and nails done and also asked her for the details of a divorce attorney.
A few days after this, Caitlin went back to Chicago. Joyce said that she assumed Caitlin was going to “tie up loose ends.”
Joyce only saw Caitlin one more time prior to her death. She was with Adam and told Joyce that she was there for his court date.
He had a case conference in Michigan scheduled on September 23, 2024.
On October 27, 2024, a Sunday, a resident of Adam’s condo complex reported to the building manager that they had found a severed foot in the stairwell.
The manager called police and they arrived on scene at 7.20pm that night. Caitlin’s body was found at the bottom of a stairwell.
Authorities told the family that ‘based on the condition of the remains’ they determined that Caitlin’s body ‘fell approximately 24 floors’.
Her parents were told that ‘based on the height of the fall,’ their daughter’s body was ‘pulverized’ and ‘her foot was severed from her body’.
‘An unidentified adult female was found unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs at a residence at the above location,’ Chicago Police told the media at the time.
‘She was pronounced on scene. Detectives are conducting a death investigation, pending autopsy results.
‘No one is in custody and there are no updates at this time as the investigation is ongoing.’
At some point prior to her body being found, Adam had filed a missing person report for Caitlin. He was questioned by police at the time but was released without charge.
“He had nothing to do with his wife’s death, and he will continue to appear in court. And we will continue to speak through our filings in court on his behalf,” his attorney would later say.
After Caitlin’s death, her parents battled with Adam for custody of her body. On November 6, they filed court documents outlining the alleged abuse that Caitlin suffered.
Her parents also said in the petition that police officers said at the time of Caitlin’s death that Adam was the ‘primary suspect.’
Judge Brian Berger ruled that her remains would be released to them rather than to Adam.
The Tracey family’s attorneys, Mitt Drew and Andrew Cunniff, released statements on their behalf celebrating the judge’s decision.
‘We are incredibly grateful for Judge Berger’s expedited decision,’ said Drew, of Butzel Long in Michigan.
‘The ruling allows Caitlin’s family not only to honor her life with the final services she deserves, but also to grieve appropriately, supporting them in their journey through this difficult time.’
‘Today’s ruling in Michigan is a critical step in the family’s efforts to protect and preserve Caitlin’s legacy,’ added Cunniff, of Galarnyk and Associates in Chicago.
‘The family will continue to fight for Caitlin until she is laid to rest with the respect and dignity she deserves.’
Caitlin was buried in a catholic funeral, organised by her parents on November 23, 2024. There was no mention of Adam in her obituary.
At the time of Caitlin’s death, Adam was a partner at Duane Morris, a Chicago law firm. His employer said that Adam was ‘swiftly removed’ once they found out about the abuse allegations.
‘This is a shocking and tragic case, and we send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Caitlin Tracey,’ the firm said.
‘Our firm was not aware of the domestic violence and other allegations against Adam Beckerink asserted in various legal proceedings until recent media accounts of her death.
‘Once we confirmed key facts, the Partners Board swiftly removed Adam as a partner of Duane Morris LLP. He is no longer associated with our firm.
‘This is a tragedy for all involved. Our deepest condolences go to Caitlin Tracey’s family. Counseling will be available for Chicago office employees this week.
‘Out of respect for the legal process, it is not appropriate for the firm to speculate about the ongoing investigation, other than to say we hope justice will be served and we stand ready to assist if we can be helpful to investigators.’
This case has recently been in the media again as Caitlin’s primary cause of death has been released.
The Cook County Medical Examiner has ruled Caitlin died from a fall, but said the manner of death remains “undetermined.” She died of “multiple injuries, fall from height.”
This is the latest update as of May 19:
It is unclear where his case in Michigan stands, or whether the updated cause of death findings change the investigation of the Chicago Police Department into Caitlin’s death.
The Chicago Police Department, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan, and a spokesperson for Adam did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.michalikfuneralhome.com/obituary/caitlin-tracey
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/caitlin-tracey-case-cook-county-coroner-primary-cause-death