Police say evidence inside Daniest Graves’ home pointed to a killing and an attempted coverup.
CHICAGO, Ill. — Police used a neighbor’s camera, a missing car and cadaver dogs to build the case against Kevan Works after his 88-year-old mother disappeared from her Roseland home, prosecutors said.
Works, 66, is charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a death after officers found Daniest Graves dead April 7 inside the home in the 10700 block of South Lafayette Avenue. Prosecutors said the investigation began as a missing-person search and became a homicide case when police found her body wrapped in a rug in a basement room blocked by a bookcase.
The evidence trail began with what police did not see. Surveillance video from a nearby Ring camera showed Graves returning home March 26 after shopping with her sister, prosecutors said. The same video did not show her leaving again. It did show Works entering and leaving the house multiple times during the days that followed, prosecutors said. It also showed Works entering the home with an unidentified woman on the night of March 27. The woman was later seen leaving. Police have not publicly identified her, and prosecutors have not said she has been charged.
Relatives had already flagged the disappearance as unusual. Graves normally sent a daily prayer text around 4 a.m., worked part time and kept plans for church and outings. After March 26, those routines stopped. Her sister went to the home March 29 and tried to check on her. Prosecutors said Works answered the door, appeared startled and refused to let her enter. He told her Graves was not home. He then went inside and returned with an air freshener, prosecutors said. That contact led relatives to call police for a well-being check at the South Lafayette Avenue home.
During the first police response, Works told officers he had not seen his mother since March 27 and said she had gone to work, prosecutors said. He also said he could not open Graves’ bedroom door because he did not have a key. Officers forced their way into the room and found her cellphone. They did not find Graves. Investigators later determined the phone’s last activity was at the home on March 29. Works also suggested Graves had dementia and may have wandered off, prosecutors said. Relatives disputed that claim, describing her as healthy, independent and still driving herself.
The next major clue was the car. Police found Graves’ vehicle on Chicago’s West Side, far from the Roseland home. A witness told investigators that Works and an unidentified woman brought the car to her on March 27 and traded it for crack cocaine, prosecutors said. The witness said she drove the pair back to South Lafayette Avenue. She also reported seeing two large black garbage bags inside the vehicle. Prosecutors said Works asked her to have her children throw away the bags, but she refused. The bags were later removed from the car. Authorities have not publicly said whether those bags were recovered.
On April 7, officers returned to Graves’ home with a search warrant. Cadaver dogs alerted police to a basement room, prosecutors said. The entrance was hidden by or blocked behind a large bookcase. Inside, officers found Graves’ body rolled in a large rug, partly covered with black garbage bags and secured with duct tape. Investigators said clothing, blankets, mail and other debris had been wrapped into the rug. The condition and placement of the body led prosecutors to charge Works not only with murder but also with concealing a death.
Police also described evidence of cleanup and concealment inside the home. In Graves’ bedroom, investigators found suspected blood and what appeared to be dried bleach on the floor, prosecutors said. They also found a large bottle of bleach, dryer sheets, coffee grounds and numerous air fresheners in parts of the house, including near the basement. Officers recovered a folding knife with suspected blood on it near where Works was sitting when they arrived, prosecutors said. A hammer and brass knuckles were also recovered. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled Graves’ death a homicide.
The autopsy findings added to the account prosecutors presented in court. Graves had 17 blunt force injuries, including a large head wound, and cuts and defensive injuries to her arms, forearm and thumb, prosecutors said. Those injuries indicated she tried to defend herself during the attack, according to the state’s account. Investigators also found her purse and wallet in a garbage can in the garage. Jewelry boxes in the attic were open and empty, and jewelry was found elsewhere in the house appearing to have been cleaned. Prosecutors have suggested the attack may have been tied to taking Graves’ belongings.
Works was arrested the same day police found the body. At a detention hearing, prosecutors listed his criminal history, including a 2007 federal conviction for bank robbery and earlier convictions involving drug possession, retail theft, forgery and burglary. They also said he was adjudicated in a first-degree murder case as a juvenile in 1976. Defense counsel said Works had been homeless during much of the past decade and moved into Graves’ home around Thanksgiving. The defense argued that the state’s case was circumstantial. The judge ordered Works detained pending trial.
The investigation also revealed the role of Graves’ family in pushing the search forward. Her sister’s visit, relatives’ concern over the missing prayer text and calls to police all helped move the case from worry to a welfare check, then to a warrant search. Family members have described Graves as a churchgoing woman who stayed close to loved ones and community. Michael Works, another son, said his brother had a temper and a record, but he did not imagine Graves would be the target of violence. “She never, ever, ever mentioned that,” he said of any fear of her son.
On April 29, Works is due back in court for a status hearing. Investigators have not publicly announced additional arrests, and the timing of the fatal attack remains part of the pending case.
Author note: Last updated May 4, 2026.