Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘The Firefighter’s Secret’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ focuses on the brutal killing of 27-year-old Melissa Lamesch and her unborn child in her Mt. Morris, Illinois, house in 2020. On the surface, the investigators initially thought that the devastating fire was the cause of her demise, but upon closer inspection, they uncovered some darker truths. Featuring insightful and in-depth interviews with Melissa’s loved ones and the officials connected to the investigation, the episode allows the viewers to get a detailed account of several aspects of the case.
Melissa Lamesch’s Body Was Found Amidst the Burned Remains of Her Residence
Melissa D. Lamesch was born on May 10, 1993, in Rockford, Oregon, to Gustave Lamesch III and Deanna Lamesch. Growing up among four siblings — Cassie Baal, Karl Lamesch, Bryan Lamesch, and Julialyn Shedd — she went to Oregon High School, where she was a student council member. She was also an integral part of Circle M 4-H and Girl Scout Troop 480. After graduating from high school in 2011, she attended several colleges for higher studies, including Roosevelt University in Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Rock Valley College, and Elgin Community College. By 2020, she also took the Swedish-American EMS Paramedic class.
Thanks to her education, she earned a job at Trace Ambulance Service in Tinley Park as an EMT. On the side, she also hosted Trivia Nights for Pub Trivia USA. Being a devoted worshipper of God, she was also a proud member of Faith Lutheran Church of Forreston and St. Mary Catholic Church of Oregon. Having a deep affection for animals, she was very fond of her cat. In 2020, she became pregnant and was looking forward to giving birth to a baby boy. Unfortunately, her dream of becoming a mother remained unfulfilled, as on November 25, 2020, just a few days before her delivery, the 27-year-old EMT was found deceased in her burning house in the 200 block of South Hannah Avenue in Mt. Morris, Illinois.
At around 4:30 pm that fateful evening, firefighters were called to put out a fire on the property. As they made their way into the house, they found her body lying in the kitchen, and at 4:54 pm, she was declared dead. As the investigators arrived at the scene of the crime, they inspected the property and concluded that the fire was arson as no electrical issues could be detected in the house. When the autopsy revealed that her body consisted of signs of strangulation and was devoid of any sign of smoke inhalation, the detectives knew that she was killed before the fire even started.
The Killer Tried to Destroy Evidence of Melissa’s Murder By Setting the House on Fire
Since the police lacked any kind of concrete evidence, the initial phase of the investigation was quite complicated. However, upon interviewing the victim’s loved ones, they learned that Melissa Lamesch was in a relationship with a trained firefighter-paramedic named Matthew Plote, who was the father of her unborn baby boy. Suspecting foul play on his part, the authorities brought Matthew in for questioning on the same day of Melissa’s demise. During the interview, he claimed that though he did not want anything to do with the baby, he visited her house that afternoon to try to work things out and come up with a solution.
As per his account, he was at her place for about an hour or so, during which they talked and allegedly had consensual sex. He claimed that she was planning to cook something to eat later, but he left out the front door while she was still alive. According to him, that was the last time he saw her. Upon talking to other relatives of the victim, the detectives found out that Matthew had kept the news of him becoming a father from his loved ones and acquaintances, including his parents and co-workers. Although Melissa allegedly did not put any sort of pressure on him, the detectives believed that Matthew was afraid that the birth of the child would change his life forever.
Melissa Lamesch’s Perpetrator Was Brought to Justice
In light of the circumstantial evidence against Matthew Plote, the authorities managed to build a case against him and obtained an arrest warrant. Finally, on March 9, 2022, he was arrested and charged with the intentional homicide of Melissa and the unborn child and arson and was held on a $10 million bond. When his lawyer appealed to get his bond reduced to $500,000, the judge denied it, much to the relief of Melissa’s family. More than three years later, in March 2024, Matthew stood trial for being involved in the murder of Melissa Lamesch. During the trial, the prosecutors claimed that due to the disagreement about having the child, Matthew strangled his baby mother and set the property ablaze to get rid of any kind of evidence that could lead to him.
After a couple of hours of deliberations, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted him of four counts of first-degree murder, three counts of intentional homicide of an unborn child, one count each of residential arson, aggravated domestic battery, and concealment of a homicidal death. About three months later, in June, Matthew Plot was sentenced to life in prison in addition to 60 years for the intentional homicide charge and 15 years for the residential arson charge. Following the sentence, Melissa’s mother, Deanna, told WIFR, “To actually hear that is what he will serve as a sentence is a little bit of relief. Just because of all of our pain and trauma.”
Read More: Matthew Plote: Where is the Killer Now?
