MeLisa Cleary
Mackinaw, IL - MeLisa Cleary, 30, was last seen on Friday, June 6. Her family and friends hadn’t been able to reach her on her cell phone over the weekend, which was weird. And they couldn’t seem to get an answer from MeLisa’s husband Daniel or the kids, either. On Monday, railroad workers in Logan County, Illinois found a woman’s badly traumatized body. The body was MeLisa Cleary’s. Daniel Cleary and the couple’s three children were nowhere to be found.
Early Tuesday, an Amber Alert went out for Daniel Cleary and the kids: Chloe Renee Cleary, 3; Jacob Thomas Cleary, 8; and Kaitlin Elizabeth Roten, 12, who often uses last name Cleary. Just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the family was found at the Super 8 motel in Peoria. Also present was another woman, who has since been identified as his mother.
I know what you’re thinking and yep, that’s what I’m thinking too. MeLisa Cleary didn’t just off herself on some railroad tracks. And the most obvious suspect is Daniel Cleary, who took the kids and lit out for a motel room with his mom. It looks pretty suspicious, doesn’t it? Especially when you consider that family members say Dan Cleary often beat his wife. And that she was planning to leave him.
It looks like MeLisa went missing on Friday night. MeLisa’s grandmother says that “she was supposed to meet her sisters for supper that night go out and have supper and she never did turn up and that’s when they started calling around for her.” And over the weekend, family members found MeLisa’s car abandoned about two miles from her home.
Daniel Cleary was taken in for questioning, but no charges have yet been filed. The couple’s children are being cared for by an aunt right now. Whatever happened to MeLisa Cleary, it doesn’t sound good. In fact, it sounds to me like Dan Cleary just doesn’t like rejection.
12 responses so far ↓
1
michelle
Jun 11, 2008 at 9:26 am -No need for speculation as far as I am concerned. The son of a bitch killed his wife and left three children without a mother and now they will have to live with what he did for the rest of their life. Fuck, him. Is there a crazy as relative who could get away with offing him?
2
Morbid
Jun 11, 2008 at 9:41 am -It is being reported that she told her sister that she was in fear for her life.
3
michelle
Jun 11, 2008 at 9:53 am -Of course she did, sadly she was right.
4
Hippiepoet
Jun 11, 2008 at 10:42 am -Sounds very suspicious. Hopefully the coppers will figure it all out soon. What’s that saying….”if it looks like shit and smells like shit, it probably is fucking shit”….this dude definitely sounds like he’s in the shit.
I feel sorry for her children.
5
sugarglider
Jun 11, 2008 at 11:08 am -Yeah, the whole “my daddy killed my mommy” legacy is a tough one to deal with.
6
Lilbay
Jun 11, 2008 at 12:54 pm -In cases like this i always have to wonder what in heck that other woman is honestly thinking?
I mean she had to know he had a wife now how did she expect him to just pack up the kids and roll into town and stay in a hotel like a new family without any issues from the kids mom?
Did she just assume that the wife/Mom just did not give a darn?
I have to wonder what if anything she knew about this
I pray those kids find strength through whatever higher power they worship and i hope the family gets them to see a therapist to deal with this mess.
7
solange822001
Jun 12, 2008 at 2:22 pm -Lilbay, I think the other woman is his mother, the children’s grandmother, according to the article. Maybe it was updated after you posted this comment, but it makes much more sense. I guess MURDER isn’t enough for this mother to desert her precious baby Daniel!
8
funnymommy
Jun 14, 2008 at 2:12 pm -Yeah, this was on the news the other night and apparently she had stated to family that if she ever went missing, her husband did it. Wow.
I had a friend who used to say that all the time about her partner. She finally left him. He burned their house down and went to jail. Thankfully, no one was hurt but he destroyed everything they had and the poor kids were left with nothing. He is currently serving time.
9
Zibarro
Sep 23, 2008 at 6:26 am -No updates?
Seems if he was gonna be charged… it would have happened by now?
Just askin’
Poor kids
10
Lilbay
Sep 23, 2008 at 6:43 am -They took till a week ago to actually state to News that it was Homicide according to recent news posts.
http://www.week.com/news/local/29201899.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....0061.story
So i am not going to give up hope yet. I do pray they find enough evidence to get this bastard. The kids are with a Aunt so hopefully he has limited access if any to them.
He makes himself look even more guilty in that he cremate the body against familys wishes. Makes me wonder what he was making sure was not found???
So sad when you KNOW these bastards do it but have no proof to lock them up. I pray the length of time it took to actually come out with news on this may mean charges are coming.
11
impqueen
Sep 23, 2008 at 6:45 am -Actually, Zibarro, it’s not unusual for charges to take years in homicides.
But as it happens, there’s been an update. This from http://centralillinoisproud.co.....?cid=23411 :
WMBD/WYZZ — Logan County - A Logan County Coroners jury rules the death of Mackinaw woman MeLisa Cleary a homicide. Autopsy results show Cleary died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck areas. Cleary’s body was found June 9th off of Interstate 155 near Hartsburg. MeLisa’s husband Daniel Cleary was questioned and released by police following the discovery of her body. An investigation is ongoing through the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department.
12
Zibarro
Sep 23, 2008 at 6:56 am -Imp, I can understand that in cases where there’s no real suspect… but this just didn’t seem to fall into that catagory. She goes missing, she’s found dead and hubby, grandma and kids are found (essentially) hiding in a motel. HE didn’t report her missing and she’d told people she was scared for her life and if she was ever found murdered (to have to even SAY that to people - God!) that hubby did it.
I guess coincidences happen… but not THAT often.
Thank you both for the update. I’ve only been here a few days so I’m finding a lot of these stories long after the fact.
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