Kelsey Berreth, a missing Colorado mother who authorities believe was killed by her fiance, may be buried in a landfill.
Authorities began searching for the remains of Berreth in the Midway Landfill in Fountain on Feb. 26, who vanished on Thanksgiving and hasn’t been seen since.
Officers said in court on Feb. 19 that Idaho nurse Krystal Jean Lee Kenney told them that Berreth’s fiance, Patrick Frazee, killed Berreth and wrapped her in a large plastic tote bag.
Kenney said Frazee summoned her to his ranch where she watched him pour gas and oil onto the fire as a large plastic tote bag burned away, revealing a “lump” she believed was Berreth’s body. Frazee allegedly told her he planned to throw the remains in a dump or a river.
Kenney said Frazee, with whom she was having an affair, tried to convince her to kill his fiancee but she ultimately declined, leading to him killing Berreth. He told her to clean Berreth’s house afterward, and she found it spattered with blood.
Later, she met him at his ranch where she witnessed the burning.
Woodland Park Police Department detectives and other law enforcement officers were set to search the landfill on Tuesday to try to find Berreth’s remains. Investigators are also looking for any additional evidence to support their case against Frazee, who has been charged with murder and solicitation.
The search is expected to take between 16 and 80 days, reported CBS 4.
According to CNN, the primary search area is 4,320 cubic yards but officers hope to search through a total area of 686,805 cubic yards.
Ten officers are expected to work eight hours a day for 35 days to make it through the primary area, which is roughly the size of two hockey rinks put together. They will search to a depth of 25 feet.
CBI truck entering the Midway Landfill, just before 8am this morning. Investigators begin their search for #KelseyBerreth ‘s remains and other evidence at this landfill today. Search expected to last several weeks #9news pic.twitter.com/kqNMBzhZmd
— Jennifer Meckles (@jennifermeckles) February 26, 2019
Investigators are on site at the Midway Landfill. The search for #KelseyBerreth ‘s remains and evidence in this case has started, and could take weeks. #9news https://t.co/mvlO8tHJ1d pic.twitter.com/glA4fgAvSE
— Jennifer Meckles (@jennifermeckles) February 26, 2019
The entire search area is roughly the size of two hockey rinks put together and will be searched to a depth of 25 feet.
Woodland Park Police Commander Chris Adams said that the estimated time frame could change based on what investigators uncover.
“It’s a slow, methodical search. We don’t want to miss anything. I think we owe it to Kelsey and her family to—to be as thorough as we can,” Adams told KKTV.
An excavator will be utilized and the trash that’s removed will be laid out in lines at another location so officers can sift through the material.
Officers will be assisted by an expert from NecroSearch International.
Day 1 of the search is underway at the Midway Landfill. The search for Kelsey Berreths remains could take at least a month as investigators go piece by piece looking through garbage. #KelseyBerreth pic.twitter.com/WWszpHP87R
— Kolby Crossley (@KolbyKRDO13) February 26, 2019
Idaho Nurse Was Afraid of Frazee
Kenney, the Idaho nurse charged with tampering with evidence in the case, was reportedly afraid that Frazee would kill her if she didn’t assist him.
Frazee was arrested in late 2018 and charged with killing Berreth and trying to hire at least one person to carry out the murder. Kenney was charged after authorities tracked Berreth’s phone to the state.
Michelle Stein, Kenney’s friend, said that Frazee practically forced the nurse to help him try to cover up Berreth’s death.
“Krystal was very, very scared,” Stein told CBS. “Krystal’s a very level-headed, kind, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky person. She’s a tough cowgirl. But she was absolutely scared and extremely upset. She did tell me that she has never seen that kind of evil in anybody.”
Stein said that Kenney confided in her about her role in covering up Berreth’s death, explaining that she had known Frazee for 15 years and that the pair previously dated.
Three days after Berreth vanished from Woodland Park on Thanksgiving, her cellphone pinged in Gooding, Idaho, about an hour from Kenney’s house. Two text messages were also sent from the phone: one to Berreth’s workplace, saying she would be away from work for another week, and one to Frazee, the contents of which haven’t been disclosed publicly.
Kenney’s best friend reportedly informed her bosses, Joe and Patty Rockstahl, in October 2018 that Kenney, her best friend, told her that “a man had asked her to kill the mother of his child,” the couple told KMVT before Berreth vanished.
The couple asked the employee to have Kenney talk to them but she never did. They weren’t able to alert authorities in time but they did speak to the FBI after Berreth’s disappearance. Stein, Kenney’s friend, said that her friend has “very good reasoning for whatever it is she may or may not have done.”
“I can’t really comment completely, but fear, and legitimate fear,” she told CBS. The reporter responded, “That if she didn’t comply with Patrick, he might kill her?” Stein replied, “Yes, that’s what I believe.”
