On the day before Thanksgiving 2020, 27‑year‑old Melissa Lamesch — nine months pregnant and expecting a baby she planned to name Barrett — was found dead in her burning Mount Morris, Illinois, home. Investigators and Melissa’s family would eventually learn she’d been murdered and her home set on fire, and that a firefighter who’d been involved with her was at the center of the inquiry.

Melissa, an EMT who’d moved back into her childhood home to be near family as the due date neared, had kept in contact with the baby’s father, Matthew Plote, off and on. When Melissa told friends and family she was pregnant, Plote repeatedly resisted involvement; he urged abortion and later kept the pregnancy secret from some people, even colleagues and supervisors. On the morning of Nov. 25, 2020, Melissa spoke with her sister Cassie for more than two hours. The call ended when Cassie said Melissa saw Plote at the door; Melissa said she would call back, and she never did.

Soon after, neighbors reported a fire. First responders found Melissa’s body on the kitchen floor in front of the stove. Though much of the kitchen had burned, investigators noted Melissa herself had little fire damage and there was no soot in her airways; tests showed carbon monoxide levels inconsistent with death by fire. Two autopsies, including one by forensic pathologist Dr. Amanda Youman, found evidence of a violent struggle and hemorrhages around Melissa’s neck consistent with strangulation. Investigators concluded Melissa had been killed before the fire.

Matthew Plote, a 33‑year‑old firefighter‑paramedic who worked for Carol Stream Fire District, acknowledged being at Melissa’s house on the day she died. He told investigators he’d gone to talk about the pregnancy and hospital arrangements. Plote did not disclose the death and subsequent fire to his employer at the time; months later, the chief learned Plote had been at the scene and placed him on administrative leave pending investigation. Plote repeatedly gave sparse, emotionless answers in interviews; in one lengthy, seven‑hour session he would tell detectives, “I had no intention of hurting Melissa,” a remark prosecutors later argued was chilling and suggestive of culpability.

Fire investigators ruled out accidental causes: a detailed examination of the stove and oven showed no evidence they had been on when the fire began, and the origin area indicated the blaze had been intentionally set — prosecutors said in court it appeared someone had started a fire to conceal a homicide. Defense experts disputed that conclusion during trial, saying the investigation was not definitive; prosecutors countered with testimony from state fire investigators asserting arson.

Investigators also pursued phone records, search warrants and digital clues, and recovered an Amazon Echo from the fire‑damaged kitchen. Audio from the device contained voices but nothing that tied directly to the murder. DNA testing, however, produced a significant development: investigators found Plote’s DNA under Melissa’s fingernails. With that, and with other evidence and testimony, authorities obtained an arrest warrant.

On March 9, 2022, Plote was arrested and charged with murder, arson, and the intentional homicide of an unborn child. He pleaded not guilty and was defended by attorneys who argued Plote had been forthcoming about his presence at Melissa’s home and that the evidence did not prove he killed her. Prosecutors said the motive was clear: according to the state, Plote did not want to become a father and had actively hidden the pregnancy from others; they argued he killed Melissa and set the fire to destroy evidence. Defense lawyers framed him as a firefighter and paramedic who was misunderstood and denied he had committed the crime.

Plote’s arrest set up a high‑profile trial in Ogle County, Illinois. Prosecutors called fire investigators and forensic pathologists. Dr. Youman testified about the autopsy findings: no soot in the airway, normal carbon monoxide levels, and petechial hemorrhages and other neck injuries consistent with manual strangulation. Fire investigators testified they were “certain” the kitchen fire had been intentionally set, rejecting accidental explanations. The defense called a retired firefighter and independent inspector who disputed the arson finding, arguing more investigation was needed and that the cause could be undetermined. The defense also argued Plote’s silence in interviews and lack of a dramatic confession did not indicate guilt.

Family members testified and attended court throughout the trial. Melissa’s relatives described her as strong, caring, and excited to become a mother; they recalled the last phone call when she said she would call back after telling Plote to stop arriving at her home. Melissa’s funeral, held Dec. 14, 2020, included burial of the unborn child. Her family donated toys to honor the baby and sponsored other memorials.

After a week of testimony and deliberation, the jury returned a verdict: Matthew Plote was found guilty of first‑degree murder, arson, and intentional homicide of an unborn child. Plote was convicted in March 2024. At sentencing on June 27, 2024, the judge imposed the maximum penalty: natural life imprisonment. Prosecutors characterized the verdict as justice for Melissa and her family; relatives said nothing could restore what was lost.

The case drew attention for its intersection of intimate partner violence, digital and physical evidence, and the complicated role of a public servant in a criminal investigation. Investigators emphasized the combination of autopsy findings, fire investigation, DNA evidence and Plote’s presence at the scene as support for the prosecution’s theory. The defense disputed aspects of the fire investigation and argued the state had not proved who killed Melissa beyond a reasonable doubt; the jury, however, sided with prosecutors. Melissa’s family continues to honor her memory and the son she never met.

On November 25, 2020 — the day before Thanksgiving — 27‑year‑old Melissa Lamesch, nine months pregnant and due to give birth in two days, was found dead in a fire that destroyed much of her Mount Morris, Illinois, home. Melissa, an EMT who had moved back in with her father as the due date approached, had been in a relationship with Matthew Plote, a 33‑year‑old firefighter‑paramedic who lived and worked about 75 miles away in Carol Stream.

Family members said Melissa had maintained contact with Plote after the couple’s on‑again, off‑again relationship resumed years earlier; she sent him sonograms and updates about the pregnancy, though he kept the fatherhood secret from co‑workers and even his parents. On the morning of Nov. 25 Melissa called her sister Cassie and was interrupted when Plote showed up at the house. Cassie said Melissa intended to call back but never did.

The scene investigators encountered that night raised immediate questions. When investigators looked at Melissa’s body, initial tests showed her blood carbon monoxide levels were normal and there was no soot in her airways — both indicators she had not died in the blaze. Two autopsies and further forensic testing found evidence of violent strangulation, including extensive hemorrhaging and petechial hemorrhages around her neck. Melissa had been murdered before the house was set on fire.

The fire investigation, led by Illinois State Fire Marshal agent Michael Poole, eventually concluded the blaze was intentionally set near the stove and was not an accidental cooking or electrical fire. Much of the rest of the house remained passable, leading investigators to describe the kitchen fire as “survivable” — another sign the flames were intended to conceal evidence rather than cause death. An Amazon Echo Dot recovered from the kitchen recorded voices on other days but nothing helpful from the day Melissa died.

From the outset Plote, who admitted he had been at Melissa’s home that day, was a person of interest. He told investigators he’d gone to talk about the baby and about visitation and finances; in recorded interviews he described there being “a deadline for that” when discussing the pregnancy. He repeatedly said he had no intention of hurting Melissa, but did not directly and unequivocally deny involvement in the killing during lengthy questioning. Lead Ogle County investigator Brian Ketter described Plote as emotionless and often soft‑spoken during interviews.

Because of inconsistencies and investigative leads, Carol Stream Fire Chief Rob Schultz agreed at the sheriff’s office’s request to wear a hidden audio recorder and meet with Plote, who voluntarily came to the station. That nearly two‑hour recorded meeting yielded little new information; Plote did not deny being at Melissa’s home that day, and he did not say he didn’t kill her. Investigators also collected DNA from under Melissa’s fingernails and later received results linking Plote to that evidence.

In August 2021 Plote, who had previously called in sick the day of Melissa’s death, was placed on paid administrative leave. On March 9, 2022, Ogle County detectives arrested him, charging him with first‑degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child (for Melissa’s son, whom she planned to name Barrett), and arson. The indictment followed more than a year and a half of investigation that included searches of phone records, DNA testing, and fire scene reconstruction. Investigators retrieved and sought Alexa/Echo Dot data from Amazon, which yielded recordings but not from the day of the fire.

At trial in Ogle County, Illinois, prosecutors argued Plote killed Melissa and their unborn child because he did not want to become a father and then set the kitchen fire to disguise the homicide. Assistant State’s Attorneys Allison Huntley and Heather Cruz told jurors Plote had kept the pregnancy secret, juggled multiple relationships, and had the motive to eliminate the impending life change. They called fire investigator Michael Poole to testify that he was certain the fire was deliberately set and that there was no evidence of a cooking or electrical cause. Forensic pathologist Dr. Amanda Youmans testified that Melissa had been dead before the fire and that her neck injuries — extreme petechial hemorrhages and other signs — were consistent with strangulation.

The defense, led by attorney John Kopp (with Liam Dixon co‑counsel), portrayed Plote as a dedicated firefighter and father‑to‑be who had been misunderstood and accused without direct proof. They emphasized that Plote never confessed, that some parts of the fire investigator’s report used cautious language such as “most likely” and “it is believed,” and that there had been an incomplete investigation of other leads. The defense called a retired firefighter and independent inspector, John Knapp, who reviewed photos and reports and testified he could not conclusively determine the fire was arson and would have called the cause “undetermined.” Defense experts argued that if Plote, a firefighter, had intended to destroy evidence, he could have set a fire that would have burned the whole house; the relatively isolated kitchen blaze, they suggested, argued against purposeful evidence destruction.

Prosecutors countered with the physical evidence: Melissa’s injuries showed she had been strangled; the autopsy found no soot and normal carbon monoxide levels; the fire patterns and damage were inconsistent with an accidental cooking fire; and Plote had been at the house that day and used unusual language about a “deadline” in recorded interviews. Jurors heard recorded segments from a seven‑hour interview with Plote. They also heard family testimony: Melissa’s father, Gustave Lamesch III, and mother, Deanna, described their daughter as caring and devoted; her sister Cassie recounted the interrupted call the day he arrived at the house; and other family members described Melissa’s excitement about the baby she planned to name Barrett.

After a weeklong trial and about two hours of deliberation, jurors found Matthew Plote guilty of first‑degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child and arson. At sentencing, the judge imposed the maximum: natural life imprisonment. Plote addressed the court briefly, saying he shared the pain and sadness of the loss; Melissa’s family rejected his remarks, and said no punishment would bring Melissa and Barrett back.

Melissa’s family has tried to honor her memory and her unborn son. They held a funeral for Melissa and Barrett in December 2020. In the years since they have sponsored a tree at an arboretum Melissa loved, donated toys to a homeless shelter in Barrett’s name and supported animal rescues that connected to Melissa’s life. Family members described Melissa as strong, fierce, unapologetically herself, and committed to helping others — a young EMT who cared for people, who wanted to become a mother, and who was taken in a violent act that remains a profound loss to those who loved her.