Patrick Frazee, accused of killing his fiancée, is expected in court for their daughter's custody hearing
Patrick Frazee, the Colorado man charged in the death of his fiancée, Kelsey Berreth, is expected to appear in court Thursday for a hearing that may determine who will get custody of their daughter.
Berreth's parents have had temporary custody of the 1-year-old girl, Kaylee, since December. But Frazee's mother is also seeking custody, according to court records. Kaylee remains in the legal custody of the Teller County Department of Human Services.
The pretrial conference, scheduled for Thursday morning, is closed to the public.
Berreth was last seen on Thanksgiving near Woodland Park, a city between Denver and Colorado Springs. Although the 29-year-old's body has not been found, authorities do not believe she is alive. Frazee was arrested and charged in connection with her death after a monthlong search.
Frazee is facing two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree.
Prosecutors filed two murder charges because they have different theories. One is that he acted alone to kill Berreth, the other says he alone or with other people killed her during a robbery.
Kelsey Berreth Facebook photo
The solicitation charges refer to soliciting the murder in three separate incidents and could mean Frazee allegedly solicited the same person three times or three people on different occasions.
Police suspect an Idaho woman may have helped dispose of Berreth's phone, a source close to the investigation told CNN. The connection between Frazee, Berreth and the woman remains unclear.
On November 25, three days after Berreth was last seen, her employer reported receiving a text from the mom that allegedly said she wouldn't be able to work that week. Frazee also claimed he had received a text from her that same day.
A week later, she was reported missing. Police tracked Berreth's phone to a location near Gooding, Idaho -- roughly 800 miles northwest of Woodland Park, where Berreth was last seen.