October 22, 2025

332. The Deadline: Melissa Lamesch

47 minutes

It should have been a time of celebration. Melissa Lamesch, a 27-year-old EMT, was just two days away from giving birth to her baby boy. Instead, her home in Mt. Morris, Illinois, was engulfed in flames on Thanksgiving Eve. First responders treated the scene as a terrible accident, but the medical examiner soon delivered a shock: Melissa had died before the fire even began.

That truth exposed a dark motive, one rooted in a secret relationship and the imminent arrival of a child the father did not want.

Join Jen and Cam as they discuss "The Deadline: Melissa Lamesch."

Thank you to our team

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠⁠

Sources:

https://people.com/melissa-lamesch-death-people-magazine-investigates-8766788

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0IUWG5Zss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZVCTWFkR90

https://www.finchfuneral.com/obituaries/melissa-lamesch

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/277013872/melissa-deanne-lamesch

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/melissa-lamesch-matthew-plote-illinois-firefighter-accused-of-staging-house-fire-to-cover-up-murder-48-hours/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/696991681/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/697561140/?match=1&clipping_id=182247891

https://www.newspapers.com/image/697561135/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/700693973/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20obituary

https://www.newspapers.com/image/824364094/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20 (Plote arrest)

https://www.newspapers.com/image/825964251/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/894952081/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/831529455/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/831529533/?terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/824453855/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/839290648/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/833170919/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1024379826/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/959058622/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1021227602/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1021227580/?terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1057262119/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1147080532/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1144701359/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1092816504/?match=1&terms=%22Melissa%20Lamesch%22%20 (guilty)

People Magazine Investigates: Season 8 Episode 11 Inferno of Lies (I watched it on HBO)

https://www.wifr.com/2024/03/22/she-said-she'd-call-me-right-back-plote-trial-gains-powerful-witness-testimonies/

https://thecinemaholic.com/melissa-lamesch-family/ info on parents and siblings

https://thecinemaholic.com/matthew-plote/

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