'Please Hurry!': Tech Exec Caitlin Tracey's Chilling 911 Call Before She Was Killed by Her Husband

A 911 emergency call made by tech executive Caitlin Tracey in January 2024 has re-entered public focus following her death in October that same year. Tracey, 36, was heard pleading for help during a domestic violence incident involving her husband, Chicago-based tax attorney Adam Beckerink, 46. Police later found her body in a stairwell following a fall from more than 20 storeys. Chicago police say their investigation remains ongoing.

Panic and Fear Captured on Tape

On 13 January 2024, Tracey phoned emergency services from her home in New Buffalo, Michigan, a lakeside town around 70 miles from Chicago. The recently released audio, now admitted as evidence in court proceedings, reveals clear panic and fear.

During the call obtained by The Daily Mail, Tracey was heard pleading, 'He's assaulted me before... please hurry', before breaking into tears. Officers arrived to find her with visible injuries, including cuts to her lips and red marks on her body. Beckerink fled the property but was later arrested on domestic violence charges.

A Pattern of Abuse and Legal Challenges

The January 911 call was not the first indication of violence in the couple's relationship. Court records reveal that Tracey had obtained a protective order against Beckerink in October 2023. However, she later withdrew it, reportedly after he threatened to take legal action for defamation and libel.

Further incidents were documented in August 2024, when police responded to another disturbance at the couple's Michigan home. According to police reports, officers heard shouting and commotion before the phone line went dead. Beckerink was again charged with domestic violence, but at the time of Tracey's death, neither the January nor August cases had reached trial.

In the United States, domestic violence cases often involve both criminal charges and protective orders issued by family courts. Prosecutors can present victim statements and emergency call recordings as evidence under specific exceptions to hearsay rules, something less common in UK courts.

Fall from Height Raises Questions

On 27 October 2024, Beckerink filed a missing person report for Tracey. Police later discovered her body in a stairwell at the couple's high-rise condominium in Chicago's South Loop neighbourhood. According to investigators, Tracey had fallen down 24 flights of stairs, severing her foot during the descent. The Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed she died from multiple injuries sustained in the fall. Her manner of death was classified as 'undetermined', meaning it has not yet been established whether it was accidental, self-inflicted or caused by another person.

Beckerink was briefly detained during the initial investigation but was released without charge. As of June 2025, he remains free on bail and is scheduled to stand trial later this year on the domestic violence charges related to the January incident.

911 Call and Video Footage Admissible

In a recent pre-trial hearing, a judge ruled that both the January 911 call and corresponding police body camera footage are admissible in Beckerink's upcoming trial. Prosecutors argue the recording offers crucial insight into the alleged pattern of abuse Tracey experienced. The footage, coupled with the audio, is expected to play a central role in the prosecution's case.

Tracey's desperate plea for help now stands as both a record of her fear and a key piece of evidence in legal proceedings against her husband. While her death remains legally unresolved, prosecutors and family members hope the trial will offer some measure of accountability for the events leading up to it. Chicago police continue their investigation into the events surrounding her fatal fall.