On Monday, December 7, 2009, Lacey Claire Gaines phoned her grandmother and asked if she could babysit her 2 year old son, Conor. Lacey stated she was not feeling well and had a doctor’s appointment. Lacey’s last communication was at 3:30 p.m. December 7, 2009. Lacey was found, at approximately 7 p.m. that evening, murdered in her apartment. She was reportedly found by Juan Valadez, her boyfriend. She was discovered with an electrical cord around her neck and a 4-inch gash in her throat. While there have been no official documents released in her autopsy, sources close to the investigation state there were no defensive wounds found on Lacey’s body, and there have even been statements made that her hands were “bagged”.
There was no sign of forced entry into the apartment, no evidence of sexual assault and no evidence of robbery, suggesting that Gaines knew her attacker.

Lacey’s murder remains unsolved with no suspects in custody or named. Conor, her son, will live his life not knowing the out-going and loving nature of his own mother.
Ever since her murder, Gaines’ aunt, Cherry Simpson, has devoted every waking hour to her niece’s case in an effort to ensure that justice is served.

“I miss her,” Simpson said “I liked hearing her sweet voice say, ‘Hi, Aunt Cherry. It’s me. Lacey.’ I wish I could hear that voice again.”

“I love my niece very much,” Simpson said. “I feel I am speaking for Lacey. She would want the killer found and the truth to come out. She would want her baby and family to be safe and to have peace. I may be the only one who is capable and not afraid to speak out and ask for help in solving Lacey’s murder.”

Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information about Lacey Gaines’ killing. To report information, call the Crime Stoppers’ hot line at 800-535-7867.
If you have information on this murder please call:
Justice Police Department
Website: http://villageofjustice.org
Head Detective R Plotke
7800 S Archer Rd, Justice, IL 60458
Ph: 708-458-2191, Email: rplotke@justicepolice-il.org
Detective J Malloy
Ph: 708-458-2194, Email: Jmalloy@justicepolice-il.org

This entry was posted on Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 9:41 am and is filed under Illinois, Unsolved Crimes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.