A Michigan judge ruled Tuesday the parents of a 36-year-old woman, whose body was found in the stairwell of a South Loop apartment building in October, can move forward with funeral arrangements.
Andrew and Monica Tracey filed a petition with a court in Michigan to block their daughter's husband from retrieving her remains, and were granted custody of those remains during a court hearing.
Another court hearing is scheduled for Friday, with a Cook County judge expected to make a final ruling in the case.
Court documents say Caitlin Tracey's husband Adam Beckerink wanted to have her cremated, while her parents wish to give her a Catholic funeral mass and burial.
The parents were granted a temporary restraining order in Cook County last week that required the Medical Examiner's Office to retain the body until a Michigan judge made a ruling.
According to documents filed in court, Caitlin Tracey fell 24 flights of stairs, severing her foot, in the stairwell of her husband's high rise on the 1200 block of Prairie Street on October 27.
Details from a police report, included within the documents, say Beckerink was detained and questioned but later released.
Local
Chicago police say her death remains under investigation and no charges have been filed. The Medical Examiner's Office say her cause and manner of death are still pending.
Tracey's parents allege a history of physical and emotional abuse, in an affidavit included in court filings writing, "we feared for our daughter’s life and tried repeatedly to intervene, but Beckerink kept her away from us to exert further control and continue his abuse."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Beckerink has two pending domestic violence cases in Michigan. Tracey resided in New Buffalo.
In 2023, Tracey was granted a protective order against Beckerink in Cook County. In her request she said she was seeking "an emergency order of protection because I am fearful for further abuse.”
The protection was vacated later that year. Tracey's parents allege it was due to threats.
According to a PR firm representing the Tracey family, another hearing is scheduled Friday to determine the status of a temporary restraining order in Cook County.
NBC 5 reached out to an attorney representing Beckerink but did not hear back. The attorney told the Chicago Tribune "there is no link between Beckerink and Tracey's death."
