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On Nov. 25, 2020, the time earlier Thanksgiving, responders rushed to a location occurrence successful Mt. Morris, Illinois. They discovered 27-year-old Melissa Lamesch inside, dormant connected the level by the oven successful the kitchen.
Initially, investigators were uncertain whether the occurrence was intentional oregon accidental. But aft taking a person look, they believed foul play was progressive and that the occurrence was arson. They did not find immoderate electrical issues astatine the location and learned that the oven and stove burners were each successful the disconnected position. The autopsy performed connected Lamesch revealed nary soot successful her lungs and mean c monoxide levels, but determination were signs of strangulation. Investigators concluded that Lamesch was murdered earlier the occurrence started. But wherefore would idiosyncratic privation to termination Melissa Lamesch?
"48 Hours" contributor Nikki Battiste reports connected the lawsuit successful "The Firefighter's Secret." An encore of the occurrence airs Saturday, Jan. 31 astatine 9/8c connected CBS and streaming connected Paramount+.
When the occurrence occurred, Lamesch had been conscionable 2 days distant from giving commencement to a babe boy. She was a dedicated EMT and was excited to go a parent. However, investigators learned determination was idiosyncratic who was not arsenic enthused – the expectant begetter of the baby, 33-year-old Matthew Plote, who was a firefighter-paramedic.
When Lamesch fto Plote cognize she was carrying his baby, she was amazed by his reaction, says Lamesch's sister, Cassie Baal. "Melissa thought helium would privation thing to bash with the baby. To that point, she thought helium was a beauteous bully guy," Baal told "48 Hours." "She saw a antithetic broadside of him and that truly upset her."
Investigators learned Plote kept the information that helium was going to go a dada a secret, including from his parents and his co-workers. Rob Schultz, occurrence main astatine the Carol Stream Fire District wherever Plote worked, explained to Battiste however antithetic it was for idiosyncratic not to speech astir a large beingness lawsuit astatine the firehouse. "We're present 24 hours a day," Schultz said. "It's a — conscionable a normal, uh, people of being a firefighter … that you speech astir your family, your idiosyncratic life, and what's going connected good, atrocious oregon indifferent."
Matthew Plote
Carol Stream Fire District
Although Plote seemed disinterested successful becoming a father, Lamesch had sporadically kept successful interaction with him, adjacent sending him sonograms. "Sometimes helium would respond a small bit, but she didn't cognize truly wherever helium stood exactly," Baal said.
Lamesch, though, was acceptable to instrumentality attraction of the babe connected her own, with the assistance of her family. Despite Lamesch not asking Plote for immoderate benignant of support, investigators judge that arsenic her owed day drew closer, Plote became progressively acrophobic that having a kid was going to change his manner and that's wherefore helium had kept that babe a secret.
"He was keeping a concealed — the information that helium fathered a babe successful the hopes that the kid wouldn't beryllium born," Ogle County Assistant State's Attorney Allison Huntley told Battiste.
The authorities began gathering a lawsuit against Plote. He was arrested connected March 9, 2022, connected charges including murder, the intentional homicide of an unborn kid and arson.
There was grounds that Plote had been astatine Lamesch's location the time of the occurrence – thing Plote admitted erstwhile helium spoke with investigators. "He told them everything … astir his beingness there, helium didn't fell immoderate of that," defence lawyer John Kopp told "48 Hours." He says his lawsuit went determination to sermon plans for being progressive successful the baby's life. "They discussed their finances," Kopp said. "And past Matt near arsenic she was making immoderate lunch."
Prosecutors suspected Plote was lying astir Lamesch being live erstwhile helium near and that helium acceptable the location connected occurrence to effort to screen his tracks. "I judge from the precise opening helium was trying to acceptable up a communicative that determination was an accidental location fire, that she had been cooking something," said Ogle County Assistant State's Attorney Heather Kruse. "Which would explicate wherefore her assemblage was recovered successful the kitchen."
For Chief Schultz, the thought of a firefighter inflicting harm was unthinkable. "It doesn't chime with what a firefighter is," helium told "48 Hours." "We enactment fires out. We don't commencement fires. We assistance people. We don't wounded people."
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