Kelsey Berreth's Fiancé, Who Is Accused Of Killing Her, Was 'Borderline Emotionally Abusive,' Says Friend

A childhood friend of Kelsey Berreth, the missing Colorado mother who is presumed murdered, allegedly at the hands of her fiancé, described the couple’s relationship as borderline abusive.

Berreth went missing on Thanksgiving Day and is presumed dead, though her body has yet to be found. Berreth’s fiancé, Patrick Frazee was arrested and charged in December with first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder in connection with her disappearance.

Ashley Cogburn, a friend of Berreth, told CBS News that Berreth was often upset and she feels that it was due to her relationship with Frazee. She claimed that he was always "mad about something."

"The moment that I found out that she had been missing, the first words that came out of my mouth were, 'He did something to her,'" Cogburn said.

Cogburn and Berreth have been friends since they met at elementary school in Washington. More recently they were roommates in Colorado, even when Berreth was pregnant with Frazee’s child, who is now a year old. That child, a girl, is now in the care of Berreth’s maternal grandparents.

"She couldn't win. … The things that he would say to her were somewhat demeaning," Cogburn told CBS News. "I remember one time in particular she came to me and she was just crying. And Kelsey is this – she's a tough girl … and I can't remember specifics, but I just remember gathering, 'This person is borderline emotionally abusive to you right now.'"

She called Berreth “really smart” and on “top of her game in life.”

Although she was last seen in a Colorado grocery store on Thanksgiving, Berreth's phone pinged from near Gooding, Idaho three days later, according to East Idaho News. A charging document claimed Frazee was working to find someone to kill Berreth between September and November, according to the Associated Press. A nurse from Idaho has been questioned, but not charged, in connection with Berreth’s phone. An Idaho couple who say they have a connection to the nurse claim that the woman had a romantic relationship with Frazee.

Although police have disclosed that they believe the murder took place at Berreth’s home in Colorado, they have not publicly discussed a possible motive or speculated on where they believe her remains could be.

[Photos: Teller County Jail; Facebook]