Chicago Man Arrested After Mother’s Body Found in Her Basement and Selling Her SUV for Crack

Photo from CPD

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Chicago man Kevan Works, 66, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his mother and selling off her belongings. The story is as sadistic as it is disturbing.

What Happened

On March 27, 2026, Antoinette Gainely (assumed name), went to the home of her 88-year-old sister Daniest Graves. The family had become worried when Ms. Graves’s daily 4 am prayer text hadn’t come. On that day, Ms. Graves also didn’t show up to work. Antoinette had gone shopping with her sister the day before and was concerned. This is why she decided to go to Ms. Graves’s home.

When Antoinette got to the house, reports say Ms. Graves’s son Kevan Works met Antoinette at the door and physically blocked her from coming inside. He claimed he hadn’t seen his mother in days. This made Antoinette and her family suspicious. So, on March 28, she called Chicago Police for a well-being check for her Ms. Graves.

The police showed up, but Works told them his mother had gone to work and hadn’t come back. When they asked to see her bedroom, he claimed the door was locked and he had no key. However, the police forced entry into the bedroom and found her cellphone. Because the rest of the house looked “normal,” they left without the legal right to search the entire home.

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While the police continued their investigation, Works posted missing person photos of his mother in the neighborhood and on Facebook. On the other side, police were able to track down Ms. Graves’s mini SUV to the West Side of Chicago. A “witness” told them Works had sold the 2021 Ford EcoSport for crack on the day his mother had gone missing, March 27. This “witness” is who sold the crack to Works for the SUV. She told the police there were two large black garbage bags inside the vehicle and that Works had asked her kids to throw them away. They promptly refused and the bags were removed later, as reported by fox32chicago.com.

That was just part of the evidence. Reports note that the Ring cameras of neighbors showed Works going in and out of the house multiple times but Ms. Graves was never seen leaving after she returned from shopping with her sister on March 26.

Once detectives had the evidence of the SUV trade and the surveillance footage, they were able to convince a judge to sign a search warrant for the entire home. When they came back on April 7 with the warrant and cadaver dogs, they found Works sitting in the house with bleach, a hammer and knives nearby. They secured him and continued their search. The dogs alerted police to a room in the basement. It was a horror movie.

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They found a big, heavy bookcase had been moved to block the door to that room. When the police moved it, they found Ms. Graves’s body tragically hidden inside. Reports describe her body as being in a state of decomposition. She had been dead for about 11 days. Her body was partially wrapped in black garbage bags, wrapped with duct tape and then rolled inside a rug. She was found along with blankets, pieces of mail, clothing and trash. After moving into his mother’s home the prior Thanksgiving, prosecutors say this is how Kevan repaid her.

The History

According to prosecutors, Kevan Works’s criminal history goes back decades. These convictions include drug possession, burglary, retail theft and other crimes. He also has a 2007 federal bank robbery conviction. His juvenile records include being found responsible for First-Degree Murder in 1976.

The Takeaway

Kevan Works goes back to court on April 29 for a hearing related to the murder of his mother. At his April 11 court date, he was held in detention. He is charged with First-Degree Murder and Concealment of a Homicidal Death. Currently, the evidence is overwhelming. It appears a good deed by a loving mother was repaid in the lowest way. The prosecutors of this case will be dropping more evidence bombshells in the coming days and weeks.

Jermaine Reed, MFA is an educator and the Editor-in-Chief of TheReedersBlock. Take time to Subscribe. It helps promote independent journalism and the site. Follow him on TikTok, where he has over 9 million views and nearly 1 million likes. Help him get there.

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