The Unsolved Murder of Lacey Gaines

In the crazy world of life, you can be a good person but that doesn’t mean you’re invulnerable to the evil that lurks around the corner. Sometimes, the relationships you have, whether with friends or a significant other, can be toxic. Their bad habits can seep into your life and before you know it you’re inadvertently mixed up in unsavory things that you never even fathomed was possible. For Lacey Gaines, she understood what virulent she was involved with and was seeking help, but the assistance didn’t arrive soon enough.

Lacey Gaines was a 20-year-old mother of one living in Justice, Illinois. Most of her life was spent in Crete, Illinois — a small village in the south suburbs of Chicago known for its downtown views and Dixie Highway. For three years, she attended high school at Illinois Trinity Lutheran Day before transferring to Grant Park High during her senior year. People who knew her best described her as loyal and intelligent. She could speak fluent Spanish and always had an eagerness to expand her knowledge.

Things took an unexpected turn when at 16-years-old, she met Daniel Rogelio Sanchez, who was in his twenties. They began dating, much to the disapproval of friends and family, and Lacey soon became pregnant. The relationship wasn’t that great, as Daniel would try to be possessive and control her — often becoming jealous of other male friends she would speak to at school. Not letting the circumstances dampen her future, she began inserting her independence by tackling two restaurant jobs at “Vic’s on Main” in Crete and “Maxwell’s in Beecher, Illinois, that overlapped one another between 2005-2008 in order to provide for the upcoming baby.

The entire 2008 year was emotional but eventful for Lacey. Despite the hardships of relocating to a new school and becoming pregnant, she graduated with ease and gave birth to a baby boy, Conor Alvardo. After graduation, Lacey’s parents, Jeffrey and Gilda Gaines, purchased a home in a safe community for her. While living there with Daniel, she was supporting the family by taking up a full-time position as a waitress at Kingsberry Waffle House in Flossmoor.

Lacey’s relationship with Daniel quickly began to deteriorating exponentially. He became very physically and mentally abusive, and co-workers noticed she would arrive to work with bruises all over her arms. After seeking guidance out of fear for her safety, and confining to her aunt, Cherry Simpson, Lacey terminated the relationship. Cases where domestic violence escalates into something far worse are tragically common in the true crime world.

After the break-up, a custody battle ensued. Nonetheless, she tried to remain positive and took steps to improve her future. She eventually moved out of the home her family purchased and took up residence at Sunset Lake Apartments to start anew. While adjusting to her new living arrangments, she met Juan Valadez, whom her friends and family approved of. The two began living together, yet Daniel’s anger and jealousy seemed uncontrollable once he was aware of her lifestyle. He continually began stalking her and would send harassment and death threats. She sought more immediate help and options by contacting a social worker.

Everything changed six days after Lacey’s 20th birthday. On the bitterly cold evening of Monday, December 7, 2009, Lacey had a doctor’s appointment at 3:00 p.m. but had a peculiar feeling of foreboding. Thinking it would be less stressful and safer in general, she asked her grandmother if she could babysit Conor for a few hours, and she happily accepted the offer.

A few hours later at 7:10 p.m. Lacey’s new boyfriend, Juan Valadez, arrived home accompanied by a female friend of the couple. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but as soon as the two walked inside the apartment they discovered a ghastly scene. Lacey was found lifeless, with blood all over the floor.

Juan immediately dialed 911, but he couldn’t speak English, so his female friend had to assist in the frantic conversation. The police, medical dispatcher, and ambulance soon arrived at the crime scene and Lacey was rushed to the Advocate Christ Memorial Hospital in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

An autopsy was soon performed and it was determined that Lacey had been strangled with an electrical cord, but a knife wound that caused a 4-inch gash on the left side of her neck was what ultimately killed her. According to the medical examiner, the murderer is right-handed and approximately the same height as Lacey. Moreover, it was also concluded that there were no signs of sexual assault or defensive wounds.

Back at the apartment building, the police sealed off the area to conduct an examination of the crime scene. Their investigation showed that there were no signs of forced entry and no property had been stolen, leading law enforcement to believe Lacey knew her killer personally. The absence of forced entry is a detail seen in many unsolved homicides, including cases where genetic genealogy has helped investigators finally identify a suspect. While scouring the rooms for evidence, they managed to retrieve several important items, including a kitchen knife with a 10-inch blade that was later confirmed to be the murder weapon.

With the belief that Lacey’s murder was personal, Police Chief Robert Gedville and over 30 detectives from the Southwest Major Crimes Task began probing her history. That’s when more pertinent information came to light regarding Lacey’s ex-boyfriend, Daniel. He was considered the prime suspect in the case, yet after hours of interviews and interrogations, he was ruled out as a suspect.

Nearly one year later, hardly any new pivotal information was trickling in. Lacey’s case soon turned relatively cold. Potential suspects were unearthed, including some of the rumored maintenance men from her apartment complex, but they and all people from her past that might have had some form of motivation to commit such an audacious crime were ruled out.

About two weeks before the first anniversary of Lacey’s tragic murder, friends and family held a candlelight vigil on Saturday, December 4, 2010, where they passed out flyers and brochures to keep her unsolved case in the spotlight.

It has now been nearly ten years and as of 2018, the case remains unsolved with no progress being made aside from Lacey’s case being uploaded to the Unsolved Mysteries website on July 21, 2014. Tips and leads have run dry, and family members feel as if law enforcement has completely disregarded her case. Nevertheless, Lacey’s family still strives for justice and continues to make sure she’s not forgotten. Lacey’s story is a painful reminder that too many young women are taken too soon, much like the unsolved murder of Bonnie Huffman, another case that continues to haunt the victim’s loved ones.

Sources

• Lacey Gaines — Project Cold Case
• Lacey Gaines — Find a Grave Memorial
• Justice, Illinois Police Department
• Cook County Sheriff’s Office — Cold Case Unit
• Unsolved Mysteries — Lacey Gaines

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Lacey Gaines?

Lacey Gaines was a 20-year-old mother from Justice, Illinois, who was found murdered inside her apartment at Sunset Lake Apartments on December 7, 2009. She grew up in Crete, Illinois, and was known by friends and family as loyal, intelligent, and fluent in Spanish.

How was Lacey Gaines killed?

According to the autopsy, Lacey was strangled with an electrical cord and suffered a fatal knife wound — a 4-inch gash on the left side of her neck inflicted with a 10-inch kitchen blade found at the scene. There were no signs of sexual assault or defensive wounds.

Was anyone ever arrested for the Lacey Gaines murder?

No. Despite an investigation involving Police Chief Robert Gedville and over 30 detectives from the Southwest Major Crimes Task Force, no one has been charged. Her ex-boyfriend Daniel Rogelio Sanchez was considered a prime suspect but was ruled out after interrogation.

Why do police believe Lacey knew her killer?

Investigators found no signs of forced entry at the apartment and nothing was stolen, which strongly suggests that Lacey allowed the person inside willingly and that the motive was personal rather than robbery.

How can I submit a tip about the Lacey Gaines case?

Anyone with information about the murder of Lacey Gaines can contact the Justice, Illinois Police Department or submit a tip through the Project Cold Case and Unsolved Mysteries databases, where her case has been listed since 2014.