Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Disappearance and Murder of Kelsey Berreth

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“ 29 year-old Kelsey Berreth has been missing since November 22nd, 2018. It was Thanksgiving on the day the young mother disappeared, and early on she was seen at a Safeway grocery store...

29 year-old Kelsey Berreth vanished on November 22nd, 2018. It was Thanksgiving on the day the young mother disappeared, and early on she was seen at a Safeway grocery store near her home in Woodland Park, Colorado. Surveillance footage captured Kelsey at the store with her one year-old daughter. At some point later that day, Kelsey met with her fiancé/father of her child, Patrick Frazee, so he could pick up their daughter. Kelsey was seen never seen again by her family and friends.

Patrick Frazee and Kelsey

Patrick told authorities that he heard from Kelsey one final time via text on November 25th. Her mother reported her missing that same day. Kelsey was supposed to return to her job as a flight instructor the following day, but her employer reportedly received a text from her phone as well, that stated she planned to take a few days off. Her phone pinged off of a tower in Gooding, Idaho that same day—a town located around 700 miles away from her home in Colorado.

Kelsey’s family was initially baffled by her disappearance. At first, it did not seem odd that she would go to Idaho, as she has family in that area. But, it was soon realized that none of said family members reporting seeing Kelsey that day. Kelsey’s mother described Kelsey as a dedicated mother who would not leave her daughter behind. Kelsey’s brother told reporters that he went to Kelsey’s house after he found out she was missing, and noticed that there were no signs that she ran away. Her vehicles were still there, none of her makeup or personal items were missing, and it did not appear that she had packed up any clothes. It is also unclear why Kelsey’s fiancé, Patrick, did not report her missing earlier. Despite being engaged and having a daughter together, the couple did not live together. 

It did not take long for the FBI to get involved in Kelsey's disappearance. Investigators searched Patrick's home and workplace on numerous occasions but did not initially disclose what was found. Then, just a few months after Kelsey's disappearance, Patrick was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and solicitation for first-degree murder in connection with the death of Kelsey Berreth.

By February 2019, it was publicly revealed that Patrick's mistress, Krystal Lee Kenney, was also involved in Kelsey's disappearance. In fact, on February 5th, 2019, Krystal was charged with one felony count of tampering with physical evidence in the case. Just three days later, Krystal pleaded guilty to the charge and also agreed to testify against Patrick Frazee at his trial.

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Throughout the case, it was revealed that Krystal and Patrick were having an affair that began in late 2016/early 2017. The pair had actually known each other for more than a decade, and Krystal’s ex-husband said that Patrick has always had a “special hold” over her. Arrest affidavits containing text messages between Krystal and Patrick show that Patrick spent months trying to convince Krystal to be the one to kill Kelsey. After he ended up killing Kelsey himself, he sent a text to Krystal that said, “You need to get here now. You’ve got a mess to clean up.” Patrick then took the daughter he shared with Kelsey and Kelsey’s cell phone to Thanksgiving dinner. 

While he was gone, Krystal went to Kelsey’s apartment to clean up the murder scene. Krystal told police she was not there for the murder herself, but that Patrick described it in detail. Patrick reportedly told Krystal that he blindfolded Kelsey to have her smell different scented candles and guess their scent. When she was distracted, Patrick smashed Kelsey in the face with a baseball bat and subsequently beat her to death. Krystal told investigators that she later helped Patrick burn Kelsey’s body and other evidence taken from the apartment. Patrick then asked Krystal to dispose of Kelsey’s remains, but she refused. She reportedly does not know where Patrick ended up disposing of them, but believes he went to a dump or a river. 

Police believe that Patrick killed Kelsey because he wanted full custody of their daughter. Today, Kelsey’s parents have custody of her. 

On November 18th, 2019, a jury found Patrick Frazee guilty of the murder of Kelsey Berreth. Less than an hour later, Judge Scott Sells sentenced Patrick to a life term plus an additional 156 years. The judge addressed Patrick directly in court, stating, "Your actions were vicious, senseless, without reason or explanation."

Kelsey's remains have still not been found. 
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