A 24-year-old Illinois woman has been missing for more than a week after traveling to Chicago with her boyfriend, who returned home without her. Alyssa Smith was last seen somewhere in the stretch of Chicago's West Side bounded by Cicero Avenue, Pulaski Road and Madison Street, and her disappearance has now stretched into its second week with no confirmed sighting.
Smith lives in Belvidere, while her mother, Rebecca Smith, lives in Fox River Grove and was raised in Palatine — a detail that explains why Palatine police ended up handling the case, according to Shaw Local. Rebecca Smith filed the formal missing person report with Palatine police on September 30, after last having direct contact with her daughter three days earlier, on September 27, per the same outlet's reporting. Smith had traveled to Chicago with her boyfriend, tattoo artist Jacob Ray Caso, who returned home to Crystal Lake alone on October 1, according to the New York Post.
Caso searched the area where Smith was last seen, according to Rebecca Smith, and has posted online appeals urging her to come home, writing, “Time to come home b. No one is mad at you,” per the Post's reporting. He also shared posters claiming Smith had been identified from a TikTok video. The couple had been dating since January 21, 2025, and Smith marked their one-year anniversary in a February 2 Instagram post, writing, “I can't believe I've been with this old guy for a year now,” and, “I love you so much and I can't wait to see what the future brings us.”
Physical Description and Last-Known Clothing
Palatine Police Deputy Chief David Brandwein confirmed to Shaw Local that detectives are actively investigating the case and said police will evaluate releasing additional public details as the investigation progresses. According to official Palatine Police details reported by CBS News Chicago, Smith is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 135 to 140 pounds, and has brown hair, brown eyes and multiple body piercings. She also has a Pennywise clown tattoo on her shoulder, and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, light khaki-colored pants and white Adidas shoes. Missing-person posters shared by her family have described a possible black eye, though police have not confirmed that marking.
Smith works for Chipotle Mexican Grill and is from Palatine, Illinois. The West Side area where she was last seen falls within the Chicago Police Department's 11th (Harrison) District, which covers West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park and North Lawndale from its headquarters on West Harrison Street, per the department.
Unconfirmed Sightings Fuel Online Speculation
Palatine police have received reports that Smith may have been spotted in Grant Park and on Chicago's West Side, though those sightings remain unconfirmed. A Wednesday post claimed an anonymous tip that Smith had been found alive was submitted, but Palatine police provided no further update. Her family has shared missing-person posters as the search continues.
Rebecca Smith has said her daughter remains missing until she is physically located and can confirm she is safe. She has also urged social-media users to stop debating the circumstances of her daughter's disappearance in the comments section. A Substack post discussed the boyfriend's return home and online comparisons to past high-profile missing-person cases.
How Illinois Handles Missing Adult Cases
Rebecca Smith filed the missing-person report on September 30. Illinois maintains an open missing persons rate of approximately 3.3 cases per 100,000 residents, comparable to neighboring Great Lakes states like Indiana and Wisconsin, according to U.S. Department of Justice NamUs data analyzed by Newsweek in early 2024. If Smith's case remains unresolved, the Cook County Sheriff's Office maintains a Special Victims Unit Missing Persons Investigations Team that works with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System to investigate long-term cases across the county.
Anyone who spots Smith or has information about her whereabouts is asked to call Palatine police detectives or dial 911, according to Patch. As of this week, Alyssa Smith remains missing, and her family continues to wait for confirmation of her safety.
