Friends and family in La Porte, Indiana, remembered Nancy Ainsworth as one of the "sweetest humans," a vibrant and kind person. On August 18, 2022, the 57-year-old White woman was found inside her home at 906 Ridge Street with a single gunshot wound to her head. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The initial report to emergency services came from her boyfriend, John McCaw, then 62 years old.
He called 911 to report that Ainsworth had accidentally shot herself and that he was still at the residence. However, investigators from the La Porte Police Department quickly found inconsistencies in his account. A neighbor’s surveillance camera footage revealed that McCaw had actually left the home ten minutes before he placed the 911 call.
At the scene, police found Ainsworth on her living room couch. Near her body, they recovered a spent 9-millimeter shell casing and a throw pillow that had what appeared to be bullet entry and exit holes, suggesting the pillow had been used to muffle the sound of the gunshot. The case against McCaw grew stronger when investigators discovered a note he had written and left on the kitchen counter. Addressed to his son, the note contained an apology, blamed Ainsworth for the situation, and stated that he was leaving all of his possessions to his son. McCaw also wrote that he intended to visit his brothers in Michigan to say his goodbyes.
Law enforcement agencies were notified that McCaw was a person of interest in the killing. He was soon located and stopped by police in Gary, Indiana. He was reportedly heavily intoxicated and had a 9-millimeter handgun in his possession. McCaw was taken into custody and charged with murder.
In December 2025, McCaw, then 65, stood trial for the murder of Nancy Ainsworth. He chose to act as his own attorney during the three-day bench trial in La Porte Circuit Court, with a lawyer present to advise on technical legal matters. The judge ultimately found him guilty. On December 23, 2025, after hearing statements from Ainsworth's family and friends about the devastation her death had caused, Senior Judge Thomas Alevizos sentenced John McCaw to 60 years in prison.
