‘We Do Not Believe Kelsey Is Still Alive,’ Cops Say As Fiancé Of Missing Colorado Mom Is Booked On Murder Charge

The fiancé of a Colorado mother who vanished on Thanksgiving has been arrested and booked on first-degree-murder charges.

Kelsey Berreth, 29, of Woodland Park, Colorado, was last seen shopping for groceries on Thanksgiving Day. Investigators believe her fiancé, Patrick Frazee, was the last person to see her alive.

“As you can tell by the arrest, sadly, we do not believe Kelsey is still alive,” Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said Friday during a press conference.

Berreth's body has not yet been found and officials said they didn't want to speculate on where they believe it might be. Police did say that they believe the crime took place at Berreth’s home.

No motive has been disclosed.

Frazee has been booked on a charge of first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder, but officials explained it may be about 10 days before he is formally charged, according to Dan May, attorney general for Colorado's 4th Judicial District.

Authorities also said its an "absolute possibility" that there could be an additional arrest in connection with the solicitation charge, but they declined to comment further.

The arrest came after the investigation of cell phone records and data, in addition to searches of Berreth’s home, officials said. Police said that a search of Berreth's home on Thursday night turned up "suspicious" items and brought them to a point where they could arrest Frazee.

Last week, investigators searched Frazee's 35-acre property, located in a small town south of Denver called Florissant but turned up no trace of Berreth. But, as the Denver Channel and KOAA in Southern Colorado reported, it is believed that officials searched his property once again on Thursday night.

Frazee previously said he saw Berreth on Thanksgiving Day when she dropped off their 1-year-old daughter, according to authorities. The couple’s 1-year-old daughter is now in protective custody.

Three days after Berreth was last seen, a text was sent from her phone telling an employee at Doss Aviation, a flight school in Colorado Springs where she worked as an instructor, that she would be taking the rest of the week off. That same day, Berreth's phone pinged from Gooding, Idaho, which is 700 miles away from her home, according to East Idaho News. Police confirmed on Friday that Berreth’s phone was found in Idaho.

“I cannot stress enough that this is a hard time for Kelsey’s family,” De Young said on Friday, adding that their work is just beginning. He called it a “relentless pursuit for justice.”

[Photos: Teller County Jail, Facebook]