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Melissa Lamesch was a 27-year-old EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), who was found burnt to the ground, with her unborn child on November 27, 2020. When firefighters and paramedics arrived on the scene, they found the body lying on the kitchen floor, and initially considered the case to be a house fire.
However, upon close investigation, her medical reports proved that she had been strangled to death before the fire was lit. The search for the murderer of Melissa Lamesh led the authorities to unveil far darker secrets, which shook the entire town of Mount Morris, Illinois.
The complete story behind the mysterious murder of Melissa Lamesch and the search for her true culprit is documented in People Magazine Investigates Season 8, Episode 11 titled Inferno of Lies. The episode first made its release on November 30, 2024. The episode is set to re-air on December 31, 2024, at midnight EST on Investigation Discovery. The official synopsis reads,
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A deadly fire in a small Illinois town raises questions as to if it was a tragic accident or murder.
What happened to Melissa Lamesch?
According to a CBS News article, Melissa Lamesch was the daughter of Gus and Deanna Lamesch. Her mother describes her as a joyful spirit who was courageous enough to change numerous jobs and explore different career options over the years. Deanna mentions that while living in college, Melissa faced a medical emergency and was helped by an EMT professional.
This was the point when she decided to become an EMT worker. She was working as a Medical Technician, right before she died at just 27 years of age. As per a People article, Melissa Lamesch shared a relationship with a firefighter and paramedic from the Carol Streams Fire Department.
Matthew Plote was a young man, whom Melissa met while studying in college in 2013. The two were close friends and eventually became s*ual partners. However, things started to take a grave turn when Matthew found out that Melissa was pregnant with his child.
Matthew Plote denied taking responsibility for the child and tried to persuade her to have an abortion, However, Melissa denied his decision to kill the child and agreed to take all the responsibility by herself. However, Melissa still wanted her child to have both parents and tried to convince him to at least give the child recognition.
During the last months of her pregnancy, Melissa Lamesch shifted to live with her father and deliver her baby, amidst the presence of her family members. Her entire family agreed to take responsibility for her baby along with her four siblings. As per Melissa's sister Cassie Baal, Melissa would often send Sonogram pictures of the baby to Matthew, who ignored it or denied providing any kind of response.
As per a WIFR article published on November 30, 2024, Matthew Plote kept the truth of having a pregnant partner, a secret from everyone. He didn't even tell his parents about the impending pregnancy and was very angry at her upon knowing she informed his parents. As per Chief Rob Schultz from Carol Stream Fire District, no one in the office knew Matthew was becoming a father.
Upon the autopsy of Melissa's body, forensic pathologists Dr. Amanda Youmans and Dr. Mark Peters found that the reason for her death was strangulation. Brusings were found in the face and neck of the victim's body, which indicated that someone had choked her to death, before setting the house on fire.
Matthew Plote was found guilty of the murder of Melissa Lamesch
As per CBS News, Cassie Baal, the sister of Melissa Lamesch testified that she was the one talking to the victim, on November 25, 2020. The Lamesch family was preparing for Thanksgiving, while also celebrating the arrival of Melissa's child, two days later. As per Cassie, the sisters were discussing plans for the baby's arrival, when Melissa disconnected the phone, informing her that Matthew had knocked again on her door, twice on the same day.
Melissa promised to call her back again but never did. It was around 4:30 pm when a neighbor reported that Melissa's home was burning in flames. As per the WIFR article, her home was located in the 200 block of S. Hannah Avenue in Mount Morris, Illinois. Due to his past actions, the paramedic Matthew Plote came under prime suspicion. As per CBS News, when the Deputy informed him about Melissa's death, he was completely cold to it, simply saying "Oh. OK".
During the interrogation with Matthew Plote, Lieutenant Brian Ketter noted that he was very soft-spoken. Matthew accepted visiting Melissa that day but added that he intended to talk about the money for the hospital charges. As per Ketter, the autopsy reports also revealed that the carbon monoxide levels in Melissa's body were normal, while no soot was found in her lungs. This was very unusual for someone dying from a housefire.
For the next one and half years, the authorities kept on calling Matthew Plote for crucial interrogation. However, he decided to stick up to his old story, that he visited Mellisa's residence only to discuss the money needed for delivery. However, in August 2021, the investigators retrieved Mathhew's DNA and matched it to the samples found under Melissa's DNA. Shockingly, the two profiles matched perfectly.
It was on March 9, 2022, when Matthew Plote was arrested and found guilty of the murder of Melissa Lamesch and her unborn child. As per the WIFR article, Ogle County Assistant State’s Attorney Heather Kruse said,
“He did not care about Melissa or her baby.”
Defense attorneys John Kopp and Liam Dixon defended Matthew, saying he was completely innocent. On March 22, 2024, the victim pleaded guilty to his charges. As per CBS News, forensic pathologist Dr. Amanda Youmans testified that Mellisa's body showed signs of violent struggles. On June 27, 2024, Ogle County State Attorney Mike Rock sentenced Matthew Plote to a lifetime in prison.
As per the WIFR article, this was added with 60 years for the murder of an unborn child, and another 15 years for ambushing the house. Matthew Plote is currently spending his sentence behind bars in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
To know more about the murder of Melissa Lamesch watch People Magazine Investigates Season 8, Episode 11 titled Inferno of Lies on December 31, 2024, at 12:00 am EST on Investigation Discovery.
