People Magazine Investigates Recap for Inferno of Lies
-This week’s People Magazine Investigates is titled Inferno of Lies. It covers the case of Melissa Lamesch, who was brutally murdered by the father of her unborn baby boy.
-Melissa’s father Gus talks about Melissa and how she was a very caring, unselfish person. Her mother recalls her being born on Mother’s Day and how they both had the same outlook on life.
-After graduating from high school, Melissa would go on to join EMT school, graduating in 2020. She would help transport the first COVID patient in Chicago, which only enforced her feeling that she was doing what she was meant to be doing in life.
-During this time, Melissa found out she was pregnant. She was very excited to have her baby boy, but was very secretive about who the father was, saying he wanted nothing to do with the baby.
-Melissa moved back in with Gus, who helped take care of her. She was also sick at this time, which caused doctors to want to induce labor. She was set to be induced on November 27th, right after Thanksgiving. Two days before, Gus left for work, while Melissa stayed home due to COVID restrictions. Little did Gus know that this would be the last time he would see his daughter alive.
-A neighbor called police saying there was a house on fire. Authorities arrived on the scene and called Gus to tell him the house was on fire. He knew Melissa was in the house, so he rushed home. By this time, firefighters rushed into the house, where they would discover that Melissa and her baby had died.
-Deanna and Melissa’s sister Cassie recall getting the news and the devastation that followed. Gus remembers getting home and being told Melissa and her baby had died.
-Authorities began investigating the fire and saw it began in the kitchen, making them infer that it could have been caused by the stove…until they realized that the stove had not been used. Further investigation also showed that was not caused by anything in the house and it was possible that she could have survived it and left the house.
-Authorities wondered why she didn’t leave and wondered if she had fainted or hit her head, causing her to die. At first, there were no signs of foul play, until an autopsy took place and a neighbor reported that someone had been in the house shortly before the fire…even though Melissa could not see people due to COVID restrictions and because she was about to be induced.
-Cassie remembers the last time she talked to Melissa and how while they were on the phone a man named Matt stopped by. She said she’d take care of it and call Cassie back later.
-Matthew Plote and Melissa had a friends with benefits relationship and he was the father of her baby. They had known each other for years, but were never an official couple. He never seemed interested in the baby, which is why Melissa was surprised he came by that day. He was probably the last person to see her alive.
-Matt was questioned and told the police that they were on and off for years. He admitted to being shocked by her pregnancy and admitted that he initially didn’t want to be involved in the baby’s life but changed his mind as Melissa got closer to her due date. He also said the two of them had sex the day they met up, but nobody believed this since Melissa was so sick and could barely eat, let alone have sex.
-Matt was a paramedic and firefighter that was a hard worker with a good attitude, albeit on the quiet side.
-The family was able to go back in the house and went through stuff. A lot of stuff was destroyed, but they found out that she had chosen Barrett for the baby’s name.
-An autopsy was performed, and it was discovered that there was no smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide in her system, which means she died before the fire. Her death (caused by strangulation)is now considered a homicide. Matt is now a prime suspect in her murder and starting the fire.
-Melissa’s body had several other injuries, blunt force trauma and showed signs of sexual assault. Her family and friends were shocked by this and wonder who could hate her so much to do this.
-DNA is tested to find out who killed Melissa and Barrett and her phone records were examined to see if she was in contact with Matt. His records were also checked and showed that he was in contact and possibly hooking up with multiple women.
-DNA showed that Melissa was attacked by a male, which led to authorities getting a search warrant for Marr’s place. This shocked his friends and coworkers because they never knew anything about a girlfriend or baby. They also said that he was acting normally and had no reason to suspect him.
-Authorities finally stopped Matt at his house while he was leaving with his girlfriend. He was taken in for questioning and to get his DNA. There was a wait to get the DNA results, so they had to take a new approach to make sure he didn’t run away.
-By September 2021, a wiretap was performed on Matt to help with the sting operation. However, he didn’t say anything incriminating, sending them to square one once again. All they could do is wait for the DNA test.
-By 2022, the DNA results were in, and Matt was arrested….on Gus’s birthday. He was charged with first degree murder, the intentional homicide of an unborn child and arson. He was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional 75 years for all charges.
-While Matt is behind bars, it is still bittersweet for the family.
-Matt is appealing his conviction.
