Prosecutors said Daniest Graves, 88, had been missing since late March when police found her body in a concealed room behind a bookcase.
CHICAGO, Ill. — A 66-year-old man has been charged with killing his 88-year-old mother after Chicago police found her body wrapped in a rug in a concealed basement room of her Roseland home on April 7, authorities said.
The charge against Kevan Works turned a missing-person case into a homicide investigation that drew intense attention on Chicago’s South Side after relatives said Daniest Graves stopped sending her daily prayer texts and missed church and work. Prosecutors persuaded a judge on April 10 to keep Works jailed before trial, and the next public step in the case is a court appearance set for April 29.
Prosecutors said Graves spent part of March 26 shopping with her sister, then returned to the house in the 10700 block of South Lafayette Avenue. By early March 27, family members noticed a break in her routine. Relatives said Graves regularly sent morning prayer texts, but none came that day, and phone calls went unanswered. Her sister went back to the home March 28, prosecutors said, and Works would not let her come inside. He said he had last seen Graves the previous day. Family members grew more alarmed when Graves also failed to report to a part-time job and could not be reached to make plans for Palm Sunday services. Prosecutors said Works had been living with his mother since Thanksgiving 2025, while relatives later said he had moved in and out of the house for months.
On March 30, after family members asked police for a well-being check, officers went to the house and found Works there. Prosecutors said he told officers Graves had gone to work on March 27 and that he had already filed a missing-person report, though he could not provide a report number. Police forced open Graves’ bedroom door and found her phone inside, but not Graves. That discovery widened the case into a missing-person investigation. Investigators later located Graves’ gray 2021 Ford EcoSport in a parking lot on the West Side. Prosecutors said a woman using the vehicle told police she had received it from Works in exchange for crack cocaine and had driven him and another woman back to the Roseland home. Authorities have not publicly identified that woman, and they have not said whether anyone else will face charges.
Police returned to the home with a search warrant on April 7. Prosecutors said officers noticed a blocked basement doorway, moved a bookcase and entered a room where a cadaver dog alerted to human remains. Inside, they found Graves’ body rolled in a rug and partly wrapped in black garbage bags and duct tape, along with blankets, clothing, mail and trash. An autopsy later found 17 blunt-force injuries to her head and body, plus wounds on her thumb and forearm that prosecutors described as defensive injuries. Investigators also recovered a folding blade knife, a hammer, brass knuckles, another knife and a large bottle of bleach, according to court testimony. Prosecutors also said officers found coffee grounds and air fresheners in the house, and that jewelry appeared to have been cleaned and set aside. Graves’ purse and wallet were recovered from a garbage can in the garage.
Relatives described Graves as a church-going woman who helped people and stayed active well into her 80s. Family members said she earned a college degree late in life and had recently started a part-time community job because she liked to stay busy. Her grandson, McNemon Vincent, said the family first sensed something was wrong when the daily inspirational messages from Graves suddenly stopped. Michael Works, another son, said the loss was hard to absorb because his mother never suggested she feared her son. Neighbors in Roseland also said they were stunned. Venethia Reese, who lives across the street, said, “You don’t do that to nobody.” Another resident said the news was painful even for people who did not know Graves personally. Those reactions turned the case from a private family tragedy into a broader neighborhood shock.
At the April 10 hearing, prosecutors argued that the killing was tied to money and drugs. They said Works tried to explain away his mother’s disappearance by claiming she had dementia and wandered off, though relatives said Graves was still sharp and capable of driving. Prosecutors also said he had previously been barred from the home because of stealing and drug use, and that he appeared defensive when family members asked about Graves. Surveillance video from a neighbor’s camera showed only Works entering or leaving the home after Graves disappeared, except for one brief visit by another woman, prosecutors said. Court records cited in local reports show Works previously served time for bank robbery and had older convictions for theft, forgery and property damage. Prosecutors also said he had been adjudicated in a 1976 juvenile murder case. A public defender said Works had been homeless on and off for about a decade, moved back in with his mother about six months ago and takes medication for bipolar disorder and anxiety.
Works is charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a death. During the detention hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara laid out the prosecution’s timeline and evidence, while the defense asked the court to consider Works’ housing instability and mental health treatment. Judge Rivanda Doss Beal ordered him held pending trial. In comments from the bench, she called the allegations “violence inflicted against the victim to get her things.” The court has not yet held a trial or heard testimony tested by cross-examination, and police have not publicly released a fuller narrative of exactly how the assault unfolded inside the house. Authorities also have not publicly said whether lab testing on the recovered items is complete. Still, the detention ruling signaled that the court viewed the prosecution’s account as strong enough to justify keeping Works in jail while the case moves forward.
On the block where Graves lived, the case left relatives and neighbors trying to square the quiet appearance of the brick home with the allegations aired in court. Reporters described an emotional moment at the end of the hearing when Works’ half-brother, Clyde McLemore, called out, “Kevan, look at you,” as deputies prepared to lead him away. Afterward, McLemore said their mother had spent years trying to protect Works, even after he was accused of a killing as a teenager. Michael Works said his brother had once seemed to be rebuilding his life, writing a book and running a digital business, which made the allegations harder for family members to accept. At the same time, Vincent said Graves had done everything she could for her son. That mix of disbelief, grief and anger has shaped the public response as Chicago police continue to investigate and relatives prepare for funeral arrangements and future court dates.
As of Monday, Works remained jailed and Graves’ death remained under investigation by Chicago police and Cook County prosecutors. The next public milestone in the case is the April 29 court hearing, when the judge is expected to take up the case again as it moves deeper into pretrial proceedings.