By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-23 13:36:42 | Updated at 2024-11-24 10:35:51
21 hours ago
The disheveled mugshot of a 46-year-old lawyer has emerged after his wife was found 'pulverized' in the stairwell of his luxury Chicago apartment.
Adam P. Beckerink was arrested and detained the day after Caitlin Walch Tracey, 36, was found dead, records obtained by a DailyMail.com FOIA request revealed.
Chicago PD officers initially charged the attorney with disorderly conduct and accused him of making a false report of an offense on October 28, but he was released without charge after questioning.
Beckerink appeared with stubble and his hair skewed to one side in the mugshot pictured in his police report.
Since Tracey's autopsy results are pending and the investigation into her death is ongoing, police declined to give any further information. No one has been charged over her death.
The report comes after Tracey's parents won custody of her body from Beckerink amid an acrimonious court battle where they accused him of wreaking a secret 'campaign of abuse and terror' against her in the year before she died.
Beckerink hit back by filing an emergency motion on Monday to prevent them from proceeding with her funeral and give him the opportunity to challenge the decision.
However, a Cook County judge denied his motion on Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune, which allowed them to proceed with the Catholic burial they had planned for their daughter this Saturday.
Adam P Beckerink (pictured in his mugshot) was detained under felony arrest the day after his wife Caitlin Walch Tracey, 36, was found dead, records obtained by a DailyMail.com FOIA request reveal. He has not been charged over her death. The investigation is ongoing
Caitlin Tracey (pictured) died after falling down 24 flights of stairs on October 27. Her body was at the center of a dispute between her family against her husband of six months
Tracey's body was found 'pulverized' and missing a foot in the stairwell of Beckerink's luxury South Loop condo on October 27, according to court documents seen by DailyMail.com.
In the weeks that followed, Tracey's heartbroken parents, retired real estate developer Andrew Tracey, 69, and college professor Dr. Monica Tracey, 65, battled against Beckerink for custody of their daughter's remains.
Beckerink, a former partner of international law firm Duane Morris who had been married to Tracey for six months, argued that he had the rights to her body as the surviving spouse.
But on November 6, her family filed documents accusing him of wreaking a 'campaign of abuse and terror' against their daughter, including allegedly throwing a glass pickle jar at her head and pouring vodka on her wounds.
Pictured: Adam P Beckerink
According to the Traceys, their daughter had been in a relationship with Beckerink from October 2022 until September 2023, but the couple never lived together or had children.
At some point after September, they got back together, and married in a private ceremony on April 8, 2024, which did not involve any of Tracey’s relatives.
Amid the wrangling for control of her body, her parents accused Beckerink of ‘manipulating’ their daughter, of ‘purposefully isolating her from her family’ and being responsible for her ‘tragic and highly suspicious death’.
To support their argument, the Michigan-based family presented a since-rescinded petition Tracey made to Cook County Court a year before she died in a desperate attempt to obtain a restraining order against her husband.
In her October 4, 2023 filing, Tracey detailed three examples of horrific attacks by the tax attorney.
Tracey said that on July 11, 2023, at around 3 pm, Beckerink stripped her naked and attacked her at her three-story home in New Buffalo on the banks of Lake Michigan, where her parents said she lived to be close to them and away from her partner.
‘(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,' Tracey wrote in the petition seen by DailyMail.com.
'(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’.
Pictured: Caitlin Tracey's father, retired real estate developer Andrew Tracey (second left), 69, holding hands with his wife and her mother, college professor Dr Monica Tracey, 65
Pictured: the Traceys speaking with their lawyers in court last week
Tracey fell down 24 flights of stairs in Beckerink's high rise (pictured) on the 1200 block of Prairie Street in South Loop, severing her foot during the descent
Tracey said she managed to escape on foot, before her husband later took her to hospital for treatment to an 'open head wound'.
In a second alleged incident on August 21, 2023, Tracey once again only narrowly escaped a brutal attack by her husband, this time at his plush apartment in Chicago's Grand Luxury Condos where she was later found dead.
At around 8 am, they had an argument, and Beckerink began launching a foul-mouthed tirade of abuse against his partner, according to her filing.
Tracey 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.
'(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' Tracey wrote in her petition.
He then allegedly stole her 'keys, wallet, iPad and phone' to prevent her from leaving or seeking help. Tracey said she escaped again by 'fleeing on foot', this time to the nearest police station.
Cops went to Beckerink's apartment, but he refused to open the door.
Tracey detailed an alleged third incident which unfolded in the room where she was staying at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile neighborhood on September 20, 2023.
She said her husband stormed into her room around 5:30 pm before hurling abuse at her and this time attempting ‘sexually abuse’ her.
Tracey 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 Tracey temporarily ended her relationship with Beckerink and opened up to them about the alleged violence.
In their petition for control of her body, the Traceys said she told them Beckerink had been ‘emotionally, psychologically and physically abusive to her’ including ‘holding her hostage’ and ‘brutalizing’ her so badly she needed medical treatment.
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.
Tracey's body was at the center of a dispute between her family against her husband
Tracey's family said her husband filed a police report on October 26 to make a missing person report, and the next day her body was found 'directly below' his apartment (pictured)
‘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.
But Tracey’s parents said Beckerink found out and threatened to sue her for defamation and libel - so she withdrew her petition ‘based on fear’.
Though Tracey never secured the restraint, Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office charged him on January 13, 2024, with four counts of larceny, interference with electronic communications and domestic violence against Tracey.
On August 19, 2024, they added two counts of resisting and obstruction, interference with electronic communications and more counts of domestic violence against Tracey, according to her parents.
Beckerink has been removed from his role as partner at law firm Duane Morris
But the charges came too late for Tracey. Her body was discovered by Beckerink’s condo building manager, after a traumatized resident reported finding a severed foot in the stairwell.
Cops attended the grisly scene at 7:20 pm on October 27, and told the family that ‘based on the condition of the remains’ they determined that Tracey’s body ‘fell approximately 24 floors’.
Her devastated parents said they were told that ‘based on the height of the fall,’ their daughter’s body was ‘pulverized’ and ‘her foot was severed from her body’.
According to a police report, Beckerink was detained and questioned but later released. Tracey’s parents said in their petition officers told them at the time that he was the ‘primary suspect.’
'An unidentified adult female was found unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs at a residence at the above location,' Chicago Police told DailyMail.com.
'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.'
Cook County Medical Examiner's Office is conducting an autopsy on Tracey’s remains. Officials told DailyMail.com this week that the results are pending.
Tracey’s parents are still going through the agonizing process of piecing together their daughter’s suffering via Freedom of Information requests to find any further documents she filed with police.
But they secured one major victory when Judge Brian Berger ruled that her remains would be released to them rather than to Beckerink.
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, 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 Tracey (pictured) died after falling down 24 flights of stairs on October 27
Tracey's family said her husband filed a police report on October 26 to make a missing person report, and the next day her body was found 'directly below' his apartment (pictured)
Duane Morris, the Chicago law firm where Beckerink worked as a partner, told DailyMail.com he had been 'swiftly removed' in response to 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.'
DailyMail.com has contacted Beckerink's lawyers for comment.
