Cook County Court Upholds Right of Caitlin Tracey’s Parents to Arrange Funeral Amidst Ongoing Investigation into South Loop Tragedy

After a court ruling this week, Caitlin Tracey’s family will bury the disputed remains of the woman who was discovered dead in her husband’s South Loop condo building. A Cook County judge upheld a prior decision that gave Tracey’s parents, Andrew and Monica Tracey, sole custody of her remains on Wednesday, rejecting an urgent plea submitted by Tracey’s husband, Adam Beckerink, to postpone her burial plans. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the parents and Beckerink, who they claim has a history of abusing their daughter, fought for custody for weeks before reaching this decision.

In November 2023, Tracey, 37, was given an order of protection against Beckerink after she allegedly experienced at least two instances of domestic violence at his hands. ABC7 Chicago quoted court documents that show Beckerink eventually revoked this protection after threatening to sue for defamation. “No one should have to bury their child, much less fight a legal battle to do it,” said Andrew Cunniff, the Tracey family’s attorney, in response to Beckerink’s attempt to regain custody of his wife’s body, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Details surrounding Caitlin’s fall from the 20-story building are currently being investigated by the authorities as part of their ongoing inquiry into her death.

Cook County Judge Eve Reilly’s decision permits the Tracey family to move forward with a “dignified memorial” for Caitlin, who was characterized as being cherished and supported by her family, despite the continuing investigation. The decision is a relief to the family, who can now start to put the legal issues behind them and properly remember Caitlin. Her death’s circumstances have left a family already dealing with the devastating loss of their daughter in the midst of severe legal turmoil in addition to grief.

Two felony cases regarding Caitlin’s domestic abuse are still pending in Michigan for Adam Beckerink, a tax lawyer who was fired from his firm after the matter was made public. According to reports, Beckerink was first arrested for providing inaccurate information about Tracey’s whereabouts before she passed away in a missing persons report he submitted. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a police probe revealed inconsistencies in Beckerink’s story when building security footage revealed the couple together the day before he claimed to have last seen her. A sad picture of Caitlin’s final months is painted by her terrible fall from the 24th story of Beckerink’s condo building, the alleged abuse, and the ongoing legal battle around her remains.

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