Kaylee Berreth was only 14 months old when her mother, Kelsey Berreth, was murdered by her dad, Patrick Frazee.
Kaylee was present in the home on the day of her mom’s murder on Thanksgiving Day, 2018. Although the baby was in another room, many of her toys and other belongings were splattered with blood.
Kaylee is now two years old. The results of her last custody hearing show she is living with her maternal grandparents.
Here’s what you need to know:
Social Services Were Called to Investigate Whether Patrick Frazee Was Abusing Kelsey Berreth the Day Their Daughter Was Born
Kaylee Berreth was born three weeks early and required special medical attention immediately after her birth. Cheryl Berreth, Kelsey’s mother, told police Frazee became extremely upset, even saying he should have killed a nurse. He was angry because the baby’s medical needs kept her away from her parents, and Frazee believed the first few hours of life were critical for bonding with the baby. He became “so upset” and “verbally abusive” with nursing staff that Social Services was called. Social services separated the baby from their care until they could determine whether Frazee was abusing Berreth, according to court documents filed in the murder case. At Kaylee’s first birthday party, Frazee joked about his threat to the nurse.
Kelsey Berreth was brutally murdered on Thanksgiving Day 2018. Kelsey Berreth’s mother, Cheryl Berreth, called Woodland Park Police Department December 2, 2018, saying she had not been able to reach her daughter in more than a week, and asked police to check on her. She said her daughter would not leave without telling anyone. Police contacted Berreth’s fiance and the father of her 14-month-old daughter. He told police he last saw Kelsey November 22, 2018, and that they broke up. He said he returned her things to her, including her handgun and keys, according to an application for a search warrant filed in his case. He told police he had talked to her on the phone between November 22 and November 25. Police later learned that the story was part of a cover-up.
Frazee coerced Krystal Lee Kenney to help him murder Berreth, claiming she was an abusive mother. During an interview with police, Krystal Lee Kenney said Patrick Frazee told her Kelsey Berreth was abusive in an attempt to get her to help him kill Berreth. He claimed Berreth would abuse the baby and even hit her with an iron. Police could find no evidence that Berreth ever abused her baby, according to an arrest warrant filed in the murder case. The plans to kill Berreth started in September 2018. Frazee gave Lee direction on the murder, such as telling her to purchase a burner phone, she told police.
Kaylee Berreth Was in the House the Day Her Mother Was Murdered
Fourteen-month-old Kaylee Berreth was in the home the day her mother was murdered. In one room of the house, Kaylee was in a playpen. Meanwhile, Kaylee’s father, Patrick Frazee, blindfolded Kelsey Berreth, telling her to identify the scents of different candles. While she was blindfolded, Frazee hit her in the face with a baseball bat, knocking her teeth out, according to the arrest warrant filed in his case. Many of Kaylee’s belongings were splattered with blood.
“Kaylee will eventually know the story, how she was present during the torture and murder of her mother,” Kelsey Berreth’s mom, Cheryl Berreth, said in the statement following Frazee’s conviction, according to the Denver Post.
Patrick Frazee first took Kelsey Berreth’s body from her home in a tote to Nash Ranch and stored it in a barn on top of a haystack. Frazee used a tractor to move the tote to a high location, according to his arrest warrant. Then he and Lee took the body from Nash Ranch to his home in Florissant using his red pickup truck. He put the tote and Berreth’s belonging in a trough, then set a fire. He used wood and at least five gallons of gasoline to fuel the fire. Frazee told Lee he wanted police to think Berreth died by suicide.
Investigators collected 21 samples of suspected blood from Kelsey’s home from 21 separate locations throughout the house, mainly in her bathroom. You can see the blood sample collection list here and a list of other evidence collected here.
A Custody Hearing for Kaylee Berreth Granted Custody of the Girl to her Maternal Grandparents
A custody hearing was held for Kaylee Berreth in 2019, in which Kaylee’s maternal and paternal grandparents were present. The court ruled that her maternal grandparents should have temporary custody, according to the custody hearing documents.
Cheryl Berreth told police the last time she talked to her daughter was on November 22, 2018. Kelsey told her mom she and Patrick had gone out to check on a herd of cattle the day before, but Frazee became sick and she dropped him off at his home. The couple had plans to go out for Thanksgiving dinner that night, Kelsey told her mom. She didn’t tell her mom anything about the couple breaking up.
Frazee later told Cheryl Berreth he and Kelsey had decided to split up and share custody of the child. He said he had not seen her, and that he wanted to give her space.
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Kelsey Berreth’s Daughter, Kaylee, Now: Where Is She Today in 2020?