7/30/2019 Murder investigation of Justice woman continues - by James Pluta - Desplaines Valley News - Dec 19, 2009

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Murder investigation of Justice woman continues - by James

Pluta - Desplaines Valley News - Dec 19, 2009

The below article appeared in print and on the internet in Dec 2009The Desplaines Valley News

The 20-year-old Justice woman found stabbed and strangled to death inside her Hickory Traceapartment unit Dec. 7 had just left her 2-year-old son at his grandmothers house fearing forhis personal safety hours before she was brutally murdered and left for dead, according to asource close to the family.

The victim, Lacey Claire Gaines, whom relatives and friends said was dating a new boyfriend oflate, also was involved in a court custody battle with the father of the boy, who revealed in theCook County Circuit Court filing that he had sex with her when she was 16 and he was in his20s.

The last known hearing in the petition to establish parentage filed pro-se by the boys father onMarch 18, 2009 (Case # 2009D679047), was back in May, according to court records viewed bythe Desplaines Valley News.

Police Chief Robert Gedville said no charges have been filed yet, even though detectivesworking the case have interviewed every known boyfriend shes associated with over the years including a few possible suspects who were in custody early last week and have since beenreleased.

We have interviewed everyone we can and our (Southwest Major Crimes) Task Force has 30 to40 detectives working around the clock to get this solved, Gedville said, adding they are

looking into every lead and are hoping someone calls Cook County Crimestoppers withinformation that leadsto the apprehension of the assailant.

Tipsters, who dont have to identify themselves, are urged to call (800) 535-STOP and if theirleads result in an arrest they could earn a $1,000 reward.

The crime which continues to remain the subject of much chatter and speculation on a numberof news and crime victims web sites has been described by investigators as an isolatedincident, meaning neighbors of the victim should not be concerned a killer is on the loose.

Gedville said there was no forced entry to the apartment and no evidence anything was stolen,suggesting the possibility Gaines may have known her attacker. He also said there is no knownmotive at this point, but that every avenue is being explored with hopes of hunting down thekiller.

When police arrived at the apartment responding to a 911 call made by an English-speakingacquaintance of her current boyfriend who arrived home to find her dead inside they found

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7/30/2019 Murder investigation of Justice woman continues - by James Pluta - Desplaines Valley News - Dec 19, 2009

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Gaines unresponsive and covered in blood and rushed her to Advocate Christ Memorial Hospitalin Oak Lawn.

Once there, the Cook County Medical Examiners Office said she was pronounced dead onarrival at 7:19 p.m.

Both the current boyfriend and the father of the child were questioned in connection with thecase, as were others.

While an embalmer with the Kepouros Funeral Services stated the fully clothed victim died of asingle knife wound to the neck and was likely choked as well with an electrical cord, a medicalexaminers first responder report shared with family members indicated there was a cord orrope around her neck, a 4-inch deep gash to the left side of her neck and a surface stab wound inher left shoulder.

However, there was no apparent sexual assault and no signs of a struggle, perhaps because

Gaines was caught off guard or was sleeping at the time.

Gedville confirmed a kitchen knife with a 10-inch blade recovered from the residence was verylikely the murder weapon and was one of many things taken into evidence. However, no suspectvehicles were impounded.

Someone close to Gaines who requested anonymity stated through domestic violence victimsadvocate Susan Murphy-Milano of Chicago that Gaines had sought help in March for allegedabuse, stalking and death threats, had tried to get a court order of protection served on the childsfather to no avail, yet seemed to be trying to get her life back together.

Gaines, a single mother, worked three jobs including as a waitress/hostess for the past twoyears at Kingsberry Waffle House in Flossmoor, which she quit earlier this year. She earnedmoney to raise her son, pay off a car loan and a mortgage for a house her parents bought inSteger that she and her son shared briefly with the childs father.

Jimmy Mantas, her manager at the waffle restaurant, called her untimely death a tragedy andtraumatic for those that knew and loved her.

It shocked everybody, but we have high turnover here so some of the girls here now didntknow her while some did, he said. We hope everything gets solved.

Gaines graduated from south suburban Grant Park High School in 2008, which she attended forher senior year after transferring from Illinois Trinity Lutheran Day & High School in Crete,where she spent her entire grade school period and her first three years of high school.

While in high school, she worked for two years as a waitress at a relatives fancy establishment,Vics on Main, in Crete from 2005 to 2007 and overlapped that job with a waitress/hostess/saladand dessert cook position at Maxwells in Beecher from 2006 to 2008.

7/30/2019 Murder investigation of Justice woman continues - by James Pluta - Desplaines Valley News - Dec 19, 2009

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In a resume she typed up looking for a new job this summer, Gaines called herself veryoutgoing and one who enjoys speaking to all kinds of people.

After my years of experience in restaurants, I feel very comfortable talking to people andhelping them in any way, she stated. I also have a good knowledge of computers and am very

familiar with working registers. I can also speak Spanish fluently.

A beautiful young lady who was religious but not a regular churchgoer, she also spoke someFrench, learned in part from her early teenage years as an exchange student in France.

However, life took some sharp turns for her after she got pregnant at 16 and beyond, and e-mailsobtained by the newspaper indicated she was reaching out to domestic violence advocates forassistance.

E-mails and cell phone text message records also obtained by the newspaper between Gaines andthe boys father and others she confided in claimed an alleged pattern of abuse and violence,

some which is known to have been documented to police in Crete, Steger and ChicagosSouthwest Side where Gaines current boyfriend lived with his sisters

Neither the boys father or the new boyfriend could be reached for comment for this story.

Family members said the new boyfriend attended the wake, but others in attendance indicatedthe boys father allegedly came just to pick up his son before being kicked out by an uncle of thevictim.