‘I try very hard to keep her memory alive’: 2 years since DeKalb teen Gracie Sasso-Cleveland’s killing

DeKALB – Wednesday marks two years since DeKalb police found 15-year-old Gracie Sasso-Cleveland dead.

And while the man responsible has since pleaded guilty, he’s not yet received a prison sentence. That makes grieving her daughter even harder after all this time, Gracie’s mom Ericka Sasso said this week. She said she’s living “every parent’s worst nightmare.”

“My daughter was my world, my baby,” Sasso said. “My mini-me, just like me but better. I was truly blessed to have been her mother and had 15 and a half amazing years with a truly remarkably special human being.”

Loved ones have remembered Gracie for her love for art, music and animals.

On May 6, 2023, Ericka reported her daughter as missing to the police. A day later, police found Gracie’s dead body strewn in a dumpster next to an apartment building in DeKalb. Authorities believe she died May 4, however, suffocated to death by Timothy M. Doll, 31, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in February.

Doll suffocated the DeKalb High School freshman to death after they argued at his apartment the night of May 4, 2023, authorities said. He faces between 20 to 60 years in prison. At the time of Sasso-Cleveland’s death, Doll also was a registered sex offender.

Doll was supposed to be sentenced for Gracie’s killing a week ago. But Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery has postponed that sentencing and instead ordered Doll to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after reviewing pre-sentencing records obtained by Doll’s defense, court records show. His new hearing is May 13, though a sentencing that day is not expected.

“My life is very painful most days,” Sasso said. “I can’t say enough about how truly amazing my beautiful, talented, kind hearted daughter, Gracie Anne Sasso was. I try very hard to keep her memory alive, because she deserves to be remembered and in order for this not to happen to another beautiful soul and their family.”

In her daughter’s memory, Sasso said she hopes to push for legislative changes that could make sentences harsher for those convicted of sexual crimes, especially when victims are minors.

Under Illinois law, Doll will not be eligible for probation and will not get credit for the time he has served in custody without bond at the DeKalb County Jail. He’s been held without release since his May 2023 arrest.

“I don’t think it will ever get any easier,” said Gracie’s grandmother Linda Nelson said. “Losing such a beautiful light in our lives has been horrific. Whatever sentence he gets, it will never be enough to give Gracie justice.”

Sasso said Gracie’s friends have checked in on her regularly. Locals have held what they called “Gracie’s Day” to celebrate her birthdays posthumously. Loved ones held a sweet 16 party for her, too. She never made it to her high school prom.

“Losing a child changes you in every way,” Sasso said. “Some days it’s hard to breath and have to force myself to get out of bed. The thing that keeps me going is that I cannot, I won’t let her die in vain.”