Patrick Frazee, fiancé of missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth, arrested for murder, solicitation to commit murder
Patrick Frazee, the fiancé of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth, was arrested for first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder Friday morning, nearly one month after Berreth vanished, police said.
Berreth, a 29-year-old mother of a 1-year-old girl, was last seen on Thanksgiving in the area of her Woodland Park home.
Her body has not been found but information is helping narrow down the search, Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said at a news conference Friday.
The crime may have occurred at her home, police said.
Berreth's phone, however, ended up in Idaho, and authorities are working to recover it, police said.
Berreth and Frazee's baby is in protective custody and will be reunited with Berreth's family, the chief said.
Frazee was booked on first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, prosecutors said, with formal charges to follow.
Additional arrests are possible, the chief said.
Under Colorado’s solicitation statute, a suspect would have not only discussed the commission of a crime with a second person, but would have taken steps to see it through, according to District Attorney Dan May of Colorado’s 4th Judicial District.
"So, it isn't just a discussion," the prosecutor told CNN on Friday. "You've actually done something that shows the firmness of your actions."
Affidavits in this case were sealed by the court, prosecutors said.
No members of Berreth’s family appeared at Frazee’s first court appearance on Friday afternoon, where the suspect appeared via a video feed, according to ABC’s Denver affiliate KMGH.
Frazee is being held without bond pending his next court appearance, currently scheduled for Dec. 31 at 8:30 a.m., KMGH reported.
Frazee's former attorney, Jeremy Loew, said last week his client "continues to cooperate with law enforcement in the missing person investigation."
Frazee was focusing "on parenting the child he shares with Ms. Berreth," Loew said at the time.
Loew said on Friday that Frazee is now represented by public defender Adam Steigerwald.
