Caitlin Tracey’s South Loop death raises questions as Michigan neighbors recall her life
CHICAGO - Questions continue to swirl around the brutal death of a young woman in a South Loop condo building in October.
Caitlin Tracey, 36, was found dead at the bottom of a stairwell nearly six weeks ago after falling more than 20 floors. Her autopsy results are still pending, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
No charges have been filed in connection to Tracey’s death and police have not named any suspects.
Tracey’s tragic story ends in Chicago, but it begins on the other side of Lake Michigan.
"Great personality, very friendly, funny, sarcastic, very comfortable in her own skin," said Joyce Lantz, Caitlin Tracey’s neighbor in Michigan.
FOX 32’s Kasey Chronis went to New Buffalo, Michigan, where Tracey owned a home. Neighbors there are opening up about the woman who they say seemingly had it all together.
On a quiet road in the beach town, neighbors say a vibrant young woman moved in during the pandemic.
"Like a lot of people from Chicago came this way to get away from the city during that time," said Lantz.
Lantz has lived on the block for more than a decade, while Bunny Coyner moved to the neighborhood about a year ago.
According to court documents, and something neighbors Lantz and Coyner echoed, Tracey went back and forth between Chicago and Michigan. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office lists her permanent address in Michigan. It’s there that Coyner and Lantz say Tracey, or ‘CT’ as they called her, was friendly and kind.
"I would consider her a neighbor, I would consider her a friend, someone that we would say hello to, they came to graduation parties at our house," said Lantz.
"Very bubbly, very personable, again, just willing to talk and chat and say, ‘hey we should have a glass of wine together sometime.’ She knew a lot of the neighbors, she would visit with the neighbors, she would walk down to the lake," said Coyner.
They also say Tracey, at separate times, gave them a tour of her home.
"It was beautifully decorated, you could tell she loved to cook, she loved wines and walked us through some of the things in her kitchen. My first impression of her was duly impressed," said Lantz.
Now—Tracey’s house is quiet. A rug her neighbors say she washed in the late summer still hangs over the second-floor balcony. It was one of the last weekends they recall Tracey spending at the home.
The women say in recent months, Tracey wasn’t in New Buffalo very often. But when she was, they say they saw signs of trouble.
"You can’t go by that house without feeling sick to your stomach that she’s no longer here," Coyner said. "She really enjoyed it up here, she really, really did, and I felt very bad for her that she was afraid to be here."
Coyner and Lantz tell FOX 32 Chicago that Tracey described being in a tumultuous marriage, particularly a disturbing incident in August.
"She said, I felt like he was going to kill me," said Lantz.
First—we will take you back to January.
A felony complaint that FOX 32 obtained at the Berrien County Courthouse states that officers responded to Tracey’s home on Jan. 13, 2024, where they "observed Tracey had cuts on her lips and other red markings."
The complaint goes on to say that Tracey told them her husband, Adam Beckerink "had assaulted her and stolen some of her items."
The documents add that Beckerink allegedly told Tracey to tell officers her call to 911 was "accidental."
We've requested information from Berrien County officials on the status of that case and are awaiting a response.
"In her words, he had cut her off from her friends and from her family, and even explained that she was no longer working," Lantz said. "It felt very much, the way she was describing it to me was, that she was very isolated."
The neighbors say Tracey traveled back and forth between her home and Beckerink’s South Loop condo—the same building where she was found dead in a stairwell.
In the late summer, Lantz and Coyner say they had one of their last encounters with Tracey. It was the night of Aug. 19, 2024, when Coyner took cellphone video of police responding to Tracey’s house.
FOX 32 contacted the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, who sent us a mugshot from the incident of Adam Beckerink, 46—Tracey’s husband.
Court documents state Beckerink was charged with four counts tied to the incident, including domestic violence, interfering with electronic communications, and resisting and obstruction.
FOX 32 has requested details from the Berrien County Courthouse on the status of that case but has not yet received information about where the charges stand today.
"After they took Adam away in handcuffs, I sent Caitlin, or CT, a text that said, ‘Are you ok, do you need me to come down?’ Lantz said. "I’m used to seeing her as someone very independent and somebody that can handle things on her own, and I was surprised when she said, ‘yes, can you come down.’"
Coyner says she also went over to check on Tracey.
"CT was wrapped in a shawl, and she was crying, and she was shaken," Coyner said.
Inside Tracey’s home, Lantz and Coyner say Tracey painted a troubling picture.
"She said to me that they were down at our small little grocery store down the street, ‘I have no idea what I said, but I must have said something to upset him,’" Lantz recounted. "They got home, and he was mad and he was angry and she said, ‘I let him know that I’m locking the doors and I’m not letting you in until you take a deep breath.’"
Lantz goes on to recall: "Apparently then he went around to the sunroom in the back of the house and came in. She tried to run and get away from him and she describes hiding underneath the dining room table. She described him pulling her out by her hair. She described at some point during all of this, grabbing her phone and calling 911."
FOX 32 has submitted a FOIA request for the 911 call and body camera footage from the August incident but has not yet received a response.
Ten days later, Lantz and Coyner each received the same text from Tracey.
"CT sent this on August 29th at 1:07 p.m. ‘Bunny and Joyce - Thank you for being fabulous neighbors. Your support (and space) has meant the world to me,’" Lantz read.
Coyner continued reading the text: "I’ve been to court twice since you were last over and yesterday was tough but moving forward and have a great advocate in the prosecutor’s office."
The text from Tracey that FOX 32 obtained goes on to say: "Now it’s time for me to rebuild and move forward with a calmer and healthier life and future relationships."
We now know that two months later, Tracey would be found dead in the South Loop.
FOX 32 Chicago has made several attempts to reach Beckerink’s attorney asking for comment but has not received a response.
Once again, no charges have been filed against him or anyone else in connection to Tracey’s death and her autopsy results are still pending.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and available 24/7 by calling 1-800-799-7233.
The City of Chicago also has resources available HERE.