The death of Caitlin Walch Tracey, who was discovered dead in the stairwell of a Chicago condo, has left her family and officials searching for answers.

Found at the base of her husband Adam Beckerink’s condo stairwell on October 27, her body was described as “pulverized” with one foot severed.

Adam, 46, had reported his 36-year-old wife missing a day before a resident found a severed foot in the stairwell of the building, located in the South Loop neighborhood.

Trigger warning: this article contains details of abuse that may be distressing to some.

Caitlin Walch Tracey’s body was found in the stairwell of her husband’s Chicago condo on October 27

Image credits: Ricky Esquivel / Pexels (Not the actual photo)

The building manager later stumbled upon the deceased woman’s body in the stairwell, leading to cops arriving at the scene at 7:20 p.m. on October 27.

“An unidentified adult female was found unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs at a residence…” Chicago Police told the Daily Mail.

“She was pronounced on scene. Detectives are conducting a death investigation, pending autopsy results,” she added. “No one is in custody and there are no updates at this time as the investigation is ongoing.”

Upon preliminary investigation, the family was told that Caitlin may have fallen 24 floors before her body was discovered.

Her husband, Adam Beckerink, had reported Caitlin missing just a day before the grisly discovery

Image credits: Michalik Funeral Home

“Based on the condition of the remains, they determined that Tracey’s body ‘fell approximately 24 floors,’” cops told the family, according to the outlet.

The family said their daughter’s body was “pulverized” and “her foot was severed from her body.”

Adam was initially detained and interrogated about the events leading up to Caitlin’s death, but he was later released without charges, pending further investigation.

To complicate matters further, Adam and his deceased wife’s family had a bitter dispute over who gets custody over the daughter’s remains.

Caitlin had previously filed a protection order against Adam in 2023, citing multiple incidents of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse

Image credits: Ave Calvar Martinez / Pexels (Not the actual photo)

On one hand, Adam argued that he had been married to her for six months and had the rights to her body. He also had plans of cremating her body and keeping the ashes.

But on the other hand, her family wanted to arrange a Catholic funeral and burial for her. They also accused the husband of unleashing a “campaign of abuse and terror” against her prior to her death.

The bereaved parents, retired real estate developer Andrew Tracey, 69, and college professor Dr Monica Tracey, 65, said their daughter had been dating Adam from October 2022 until September 2023.

He “physically abused me by throwing a pickle jar, which struck me on my head, punching me, pushing me, pulling my hair…”  she wrote in her petition

Image credits: Paul Basel / Pexels (Not the actual photo)

In October 2023, Caitlin filed for an order of protection, citing at least four incidents of being verbally and physically abused by her husband.

She said in the filing that Adam, on one occasion on July 11, 2023, had allegedly stripped her naked and attacked her.

He “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,” she 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,” she continued.

Despite a history of reported abuse, Caitlin and Adam reconciled and married in April, 2024, without the involvement of her relatives

Image credits: Pixabay / Pexels (Not the actual photo)

The deceased woman wrote in her filing about another argument they had on August 21, 2023. She claimed she was “verbally abused” and was called a “cheater,” a “wh—,” a “piece of sh–,” “liar” and a “b—-” before Adam turned violent.

“(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 filing.

Despite Adam taking away her “keys, wallet, iPad and phone,” she managed to get to the nearest police station by “fleeing on foot.” But her partner refused to open the door when the cops showed up at his apartment.

Caitlin had even filed a police report for domestic battery after another September 20, 2023 incident, where Adam allegedly tried to “sexually abuse” her.

Caitlin’s grieving parents accused Adam of being abusive and fought him for custody of her remains, winning the right to bury their daughter as per their wishes

Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (Not the actual photo)

The alleged abuse victim eventually withdrew her petition after her husband threatened to sue her for defamation and libel.

At some point, the couple got back together again and later tied the knot in a private ceremony in April, 2024, without Caitlin’s relatives being involved.

When the bereaved parents petitioned to have custody of their daughter’s body, they accused Adam of being “emotionally, psychologically and physically abusive to her,” “holding her hostage” and “brutalizing” her to the point where she needed medical attention.

The judge eventually ruled in the parents’ favor and gave the Traceys the authority to bury her body.

The exact cause of Caitlin’s death is yet to be confirmed.

If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic abuse, help is available. _The Safe and Together Institute provides international domestic violence resources.

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