← Serialously with Annie Elise
Serialously with Annie Elise
408: A Bloodbath, Baseball Bat & Starbucks Macchiato | The Kelsey Berreth Case
01:16:55
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- [00:00]
Annie Elise
Teller county is a small county. They have never seen anything to this magnitude.
- [00:05]
Crystal Kenny
Blood all over the floor. Blood up the wall.
- [00:08]
Police Investigator
We did a deal with the devil. There's just no if, ands or buts about it.
- [00:11]
Annie Elise
There's a baseball bat, scented candles, a blindfold, a plan to transport a body. Kelsey, we just want you home. We won't quit looking. Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serial as.
- [00:32]
Crystal Kenny
Foreign.
- [00:46]
Annie Elise
Hello and welcome back to an all new episode of Serial as Lee with me, your host and your true crime bff Annie Elise, here to take you down another rabbit hole today. Because today's case is. It is so highly disturbing. It also takes place around the holidays, which I feel like anytime there's a true crime case around the holiday time, it just like hits differently. You know, it's like harder to imagine. It's like such a tough time. And I don't know this one, it was tough because there's so many details within it, but it still is so difficult to make sense of if that makes sense. Like just talking in circles here. Sorry, guys. You know what I mean? It's just like one of those things where you have all this information but it still feels like it's difficult to make sense of it. And I don't know, for me, it was definitely a tough one researching it and even first hearing about it. And so I just want to warn you, it will certainly be difficult to listen to as well, but I want to just jump right into it. Now, as I said, crimes around the holidays, those usually hit different. It's difficult to imagine such a loss and such a horrific thing happening around that time because for a lot of people, November and December are some of the best months of the year. I mean, depending on what you celebrate, of course, and how your family dynamics are. But Thanksgiving rolls around, everybody's getting together with family, eating good food, catching up. Then before you even have time to recover from Thanksgiving, it's basically time to start planning Christmas. Or if you're like me, I plan Christmas before Halloween and have it all up in my house. But you get my point. It's usually the time of year where everybody's festive and like getting into the holiday spirit. But for Cheryl and Darrell Barreth, holiday cheer was the last thing on their minds. They weren't thinking about gifts, decorations, stockings, or hanging lights outside because something much more serious was happening. The last time that they had spoken to their 29 year old daughter, Kelsey was on Thanksgiving Day. For an entire week afterward, they continued calling her texting her, but they never got a response. And that was extremely unlike Kelsey. She was very close with her family. She always stayed in touch, whether that be through phone calls, text messages, social media, just being active online. But then suddenly, there was nothing. Just silence. And at first, like so many people do, her parents tried to brush it off. Kelsey was incredibly busy. After all. Cheryl even said that, you know, going a couple days without hearing from her wasn't unheard of with everything that Kelsey had going on in her life. But after a few more days passed, it became harder and harder to explain it away. And then once a full week hit with absolutely no contact. I mean, that crossed into territory that just felt impossible. Something was wrong. They knew it. Kelsey's family didn't live nearby, however. See, she was living in Colorado, while the rest of her family was back in Washington state, where Kelsey had been born and raised and where she herself had lived until only a couple of years earlier. So it's not like they could just jump in the car, drive over to her house, make sure she's okay, and then drive home. Instead, the next best thing that they could do, and really, the only sensible option in that moment was to contact her fiance, Patrick Frazee. Now, Patrick and Kelsey had been together for quite a few years. They met online back when Kelsey was 26 years old, and things between the two of them moved pretty quickly. Eventually, Kelsey packed up her life in Washington and she moved to Colorado so that she could be closer to Patrick. Later, the two of them got engaged, and they even welcomed a daughter together, Kaylee, who was just one year old at the time of all of this. So when Cheryl and Daryl got in touch with Patrick, they were, you know, wondering, where's Kelsey? We haven't talked with her. We just want to check in on her. And they were kind of expecting some sort of reasonable explanation, something to explain why Kelsey wasn't responding. Maybe she was overwhelmed with work, with motherhood. Maybe she was preparing for the holidays herself for her daughter. Maybe her phone was broken. Maybe she just needed space. You know, who cares? Anything? But what Patrick told them was pretty much the exact opposite of what they expected. Because he started the conversation by saying this. Here's the story, which, I mean, hello, that already felt strange. Why? Who tease off a conversation like that when somebody's checking in on their loved one, their daughter, to be like, well, here's the story. Like, that already feels weird. But what came next, it was even worse. According to Patrick, he and Kelsey had broken up on Thanksgiving Day. That last day that she ever spoke with her family. He claimed that the breakup had been initiated by Kelsey saying she no longer wanted to be with him. She was over the relationship, the engagement, she wanted space. Apparently neither of them wanted to work things out. So this wasn't just some random argument or a temporary situation. According to him, it was over. So over, in fact, that the two of them apparently had already agreed that they were going to split custody of their one year old daughter, Kaylee, 50, 50, starting with Patrick, keeping Kaylee first. Now, one thing that is really important to understand in all of this is that despite being engaged, having a child together, and living near each other, Patrick and Kelsey still were not living together, even sharing a daughter. They were going back and forth. They didn't live together. When Kelsey first had moved to Colorado In May of 2016, she moved into a studio apartment, one that Patrick actually got for her. Patrick, however, lived on a ranch nearby with his mother. And apparently the idea of Kelsey moving into the ranch before marriage, it was like super frowned upon. They weren't having it, so she was going to have her studio apartment. They would get married and then they would move in together. So during the week she would stay at her own place and then she would visit with Patrick and stay over occasionally on weekends or here and there intermittently. Then after Kaylee was born, Kelsey and the baby moved into a larger condo that had more room. It wasn't going to work to just be in a studio apartment anymore, but still Patrick stayed at his place and Kelce stayed at hers. So Patrick claimed that on Thanksgiving they had this breakup conversation. Right. He also says that he met up with Kelsey and then she gave him little Kaylee. According to him, that was the last time that he saw or heard from her. He also mentioned that Kelsey had supposedly talked about flying somewhere with a friend or with a co worker, which I will say Kelsey worked full time as a flight instructor. So I mean, on paper it did sound plausible. But then he also threw out the possibility that she may have just moved away altogether, which that seemed less possible. Other than that, though, he claimed that he had no idea where she was. And that conversation that he had with her parents was on December 2, 2018. So obviously right away, Kelsey's parents were super confused and pretty alarmed because even if Patrick's story was true, even if they really had broken up, there was no universe where Kelsey would just disappear without telling anyone or fall off the radar, you know, and not follow up with custody of her daughter. It just did not make sense. She had a career she had a daughter. She had a dog that she absolutely adored. There was no way where she would just willingly walk away from all of that and then completely cut off all communication with everybody she loved, not to mention her parents, Cheryl and Daryl. And had spoken with Kelsey multiple times on Thanksgiving Day. And there was no indication that she was feeling like she was going to break up with Patrick or that things were tumultuous or anything like that. The first time was in the morning while Kelsey was making cinnamon rolls and she was laughing on the phone about how Kaylee would rather just eat Cheerios out of the box than what she was making for her. Later that day, they communicated again through text. Kelsey said she would call them later, but she never did. And again, at the time, she. They didn't think much of it. Life gets busy, it's Thanksgiving, you're with your fiance, possibly you're with your daughter, things come up. But like I said, what stood out now after the fact is that Kelsey never once mentioned any sort of breakup, not even a hint that things were going to be ending with Patrick. And meanwhile, through all of this conversation, too, Patrick himself didn't really seem particularly worried. So Cheryl and Daryl asked him, you know, hey, can you drive over to Kelsey's condo, just check in on her? I know you're broken up, but we're worried about her. Can you just drive over and make sure that everything's okay? Okay. His response to that, he said that he was busy, that he needed to go check on his cows first. But, you know, afterward, once I'm done tending to my cows and the farm, I'll eventually swing by the condo. Though he also added that he didn't think that Kelsey would want to see him anyway. So her parents were basically like, who cares if she wants to see you or not? We're asking you to go, like, perform a welfare check basically on her. Someone who you were engaged to, the mother of your child. Like, we asked you to go, we want to know that she's safe. Just fuck the cows and go. However, before Patrick ever made it over to the condo himself, Cheryl decided that she was going to call the police herself. She just could not shake this awful gut feeling that something was wrong. So local police went to Kelsey's condo and they were able to get inside, but Kelsey wasn't there. And according to the police, there also didn't appear to be any sort of obvious signs of forced entry or a struggle. So they checked on everything, looked around, didn't see her, and they left. But her mom still could not shake that feeling. Patrick didn't have answers. Police weren't having answers and not, they weren't saying much before confirming that Kelsey wasn't home. Where was her daughter? Right. So Cheryl, Daryl and Kelsey's brother packed their bags and they booked one way tickets to Colorado. They arrived late on December 3rd. And one of the very first things that Cheryl did was ask Patrick whether he had ever actually gone to check on Kelsey at the condo or not. The previous day, remember when she asked him to go check on her and he said, you know, I have to go check the cows first? Which Patrick admitted that no, he never ended up going. So once her parents and her brother got inside the condo that night, they decided that they were going to wait until the morning before they looked through everything carefully because remember, they got there late at night, they're going to rest, they're going to like give everything a full look in the morning in daylight. They wanted fresh eyes and just to really dive into everything. So on the morning of December 4, 2018, they started going through Kelsey's condo themselves. And almost immediately, multiple things stood out to them. Sure, the police were technically right that there were no obvious signs of forced entry or a violent struggle, but there were absolutely signs that Kelsey had not packed up and voluntarily left town. One being her suitcase was still there. Her makeup was also still there. And according to her family, Kelsey never traveled anywhere without her makeup, not even for a quick overnight trip. Her toothbrush, hair products, all of her everyday essentials, everything was just still inside this condo. So it obviously didn't take trained investigators to realize that none of that lined up with somebody just suddenly choosing to hop on a plane and disappear and vanish. Now, I will say this, A few important items were missing, along with Kelsey, of course, herself. Her phone was missing, her purse was missing, and her car keys were missing. So initially, it did seem possible that maybe she had stepped out briefly and intended to come back later. Except there was a major problem with that theory. Her car was still parked right outside. So if she had gone somewhere, she definitely didn't drive herself or somebody else had picked her up. There were also a few other items missing that her parents just didn't really quite know what to make of. Patrick had told them that after Kelsey broke things off with him on Thanksgiving, he realized that the relationship was truly over. So because of that, he said that he gave Kelsey back some of the belongings that she had left over at his house over time. And some of those items included a handgun, keys to her condo, and other personal Belongings, which is obviously very vague, and that could mean almost anything. And this is all something that Patrick had told the parents willingly. But when they were searching Kelsey's condo themselves, they noticed that this gun and the spare keys, they weren't there. So if he gave them back to her, why weren't they at the condo? That really struck them as strange. I mean, could Kelsey have taken those items with her? Yeah, sure. But taking a spare condo key while leaving behind your clothes, your luggage, and your essentials, it just did not make sense. The next few details are really important, too, because these are the kinds of things that only family members would immediately notice, if I'm being honest with you. And honestly, these are always the details, too, that really fascinate me the most in cases like this one, because even if they're not technically considered evidence, they do still tell a story. So back to those cinnamon rolls. Remember, she was on the phone making cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving. The cinnamon rolls that Kelsey had made on Thanksgiving morning were still sitting inside the oven. Now, of course, completely hard, stale. And over a week had gone by. They had just been sitting there untouched for over a week. Also, her thermostat was set to 72 degrees, which in late November and early December, that's not unusual by itself, but according to her family, Kelsey was obsessive about turning the thermostat down whenever she planned to be gone for more than a short period of time. She wanted to conserve energy, save on the bill, do all of the things. Another thing that they noticed right away was that Kelsey's wax warmer was still plugged in and turned on, which for any of my male listeners out there or viewers or any of my females who maybe have never dabbled in wax, if you don't know what a wax warmer is, it's basically this small little device that's kind of like a bowl, and it melts scented wax cubes instant. And you drop in wax cubes that are scented, and it melts them instead of, you know, firing up a wick on a candle, and it just kind of like, disperses the aroma. So according to her family, if Kelsey had intentionally left town, especially for multiple days, there is absolutely no way that she would have left a wax warmer plugged in, especially knowing that it could potentially become a fire hazard. And another thing that the family noticed that really stood out to them so much so that they genuinely just could not come up with a logical explanation for it, was that there was a dirty broom lying on top of Kelsey's bed. I mean, okay, maybe she had been cleaning. She got distracted halfway through. Maybe she set it down for a second. But when you think about it, even in a rush, I mean, for me, at least, if I dropped a broom somewhere, I'd probably, you know, leave it on the floor or pick it up, lean it against a wall. I'm not taking the extra step to place it on top of my clean bed. And unfortunately, there's another thing that complicated this whole situation. Because her parents had rushed to Colorado so suddenly and so quickly and had no idea how long they would be staying, they never booked a hotel room. Instead, they stayed inside Kelsey's condo, meaning if it was a potential crime scene, they were, you know, putting evidence into question and potentially contaminating the scene, which, at the time, for them, it made the most sense to them. Kaylee wasn't there. Kelsey wasn't there. Why not stay in the condo while they're trying to figure everything out? They're certainly jumping to the conclusion that it's an active crime scene potentially. But in hindsight, probably not the wisest decision. On December 5, the family met with local authorities, and they spent almost 12 hours talking with the investigators. They explained every little thing that they had noticed inside that condo, anything that felt off or felt even the least bit suspicious. They just knew in their gut that something wasn't right. They just needed the investigators to fully understand that this wasn't a woman blowing off steam after a breakup or taking off unexpectedly. This was totally out of character for her, and something was wrong. So it really wasn't until December 6th that the authorities fully grasped the urgency of the situation. And at that point, it had already been two full weeks since anyone had last seen or heard from Kelsey. So that day, her parents were back at the condo, trying to figure out what their next steps were going to be, slowly starting to come to terms with just how terrifying this situation really was. Because they, of course, did not believe for one second that Kelsey had willingly disappeared. And they knew that if she didn't leave voluntarily, that only left behind much darker possibilities. So then, while he's sitting with his parents, Kelsey's brother Clint gets up and he goes and uses the restroom. And while he was in there, he noticed something. At first, it was so small that he barely even registered it. But then he looked a little bit closer, and right there, right near the base of the toilet, there was a tiny drop of blood. All right, you guys know that I am extremely picky when it comes to comfort. I'm older now. I'm all about comfort. I Don't care about, like, you know, the fashion, the this, the that. Like, I want things that are soft, I want things that are comfortable. And when it comes to bras and underwear, if it's not comfortable, I am not wearing it. And that's exactly why I keep reaching for skims, which shout out to Amy for introducing me to them like a year ago or whenever it was, because they somehow always find a way to make the essentials feel elevated. And their new everyday cotton collection is exactly that I've been wearing the everyday Cotton ultimate bra, like on repeat. And what I love the most is that it gives you that smooth, supportive fit, but without feeling restrictive. It has the classic cotton comfort, but still gives you shape and lift, which is really difficult to find. Usually cotton bras can, you know, feel a little bit basic or lose their structure throughout the day, but this one, it really holds up. So it's become one of the pieces that I just throw on immediately without even thinking about it because it works pretty much under everything, whether I'm recording running around with the kids or just, you know, keeping it casual. It's soft, it's breathable and genuinely comfortable all day long. Shop Everyday Cotton and all of my favorite bras and underwear@skims.com and after you place your order, be sure to let them know that I sent you. Select podcast in the survey and select my show in the drop down menu that follows. That's skims.com let's talk about something that honestly does not get talked about enough and that is vaginal health. A lot of things can throw things off. 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So take proactive care of your health and head to ohpositive.com ae or enter code ae at checkout for 25% off your first purchase that's O P O S I T I V.com ae for 25% off. As soon as her brother Clint saw that drop of blood, Kelsey's family immediately called the police, which was absolutely, obviously the right thing to do. And when investigators told everyone, you know, hey, you need to leave the condo right away. We need to process this as evidence, the family knew. Okay, Things now are moving rapidly, and they are suddenly becoming much more serious. Once investigators got back inside and started taking a closer look around, they then started noticing things that they hadn't initially picked up on during that initial welfare check. But there was also a problem now because, remember, the scene had technically been contaminated because the family had been staying there for days. So what they're seeing is that true evidence related to Kelsey's disappearance? Is it something else? It's difficult. So the investigators asked the family whether they had cleaned anything inside the condo. And honestly, the family was almost, like, offended by this question. Kind of basically like, we're here trying to find our missing daughter. Cleaning hasn't exactly been our priority. They explained that the only thing that they had done in all of this time is wash dishes after they had used them. But with that, the investigators had noticed something pretty interesting almost immediately. Multiple surfaces throughout the condo had this very strange sheen or gloss to them, looking like they had recently been wiped down with some kind of cleaner. Now, sure, maybe Kelsey had cleaned before she disappeared or cleaned on Thanksgiving morning. That's possible. But combined with the tiny speck of blood in the bathroom, another possibility started becoming much more concerning. The possibility that someone else may have cleaned that condo after something terrible had happened there. Now, I know what some people might be thinking here as you're listening to this, and hopefully this isn't tmi, but a tiny drop of blood near a toilet, the base of a toilet that is used by a woman daily. It doesn't automatically point to foul play. There are innocent explanations for that. Cutting your leg, shaving, having your period, pulling a tampon out. Not again. Not to get TMI in something like splashing somewhere. But investigators quickly brought in crime scene technicians so that they could test this blood and process the bathroom more thoroughly. And what they found was terrifying. There wasn't just blood near the toilet. There was blood all over the bathroom. The problem was that most of it wasn't visible to the naked eye because someone had clearly gone to great lengths to clean it up. It was only through forensic testing and investigative technology that the detectives were able to detect the remaining traces of blood residue. There was Blood on the toilet, on the side of the tub, on the floor. Investigators even discovered that blood had seeped through the flooring and down between the hardwood floorboards. So this wasn't just a tiny speck or tiny dot of blood that could easily be explained away. There was a significant amount of blood that was in this bathroom at one period of time. And with that discovery, Kelsey's case officially transformed into a full blown missing persons investigation involving suspected foul play. But investigators also had to face reality. Kelsey had been missing for two full weeks already. And given the amount of blood that was found in the bathroom, I mean, the implications were terrifying. Kelsey was either seriously injured or worse. Now, I don't know whether Kelsey's family had already considered at that point in time that Kelsey may already be gone before they even realized that she was missing or how that all transpired in their minds, but it's an awful possibility to have to confront. So now the investigators got to work. They were trying to retrace Kelsey's final known movements while also realizing that they were already incredibly behind. They knew that Kelsey had been alive on Thanksgiving Day that morning because her family had spoken with her, but that was really all they had to go on. Then, while searching her condo and her vehicle, investigators found a Safeway receipt that was dated from Thanksgiving Day. It looked like Kelsey had stopped to grab a few last minute groceries for dinner that day. And surveillance footage from that Safeway, it showed Kelsey entering the store at 12:27pm and she wasn't alone. She went in with her one year old daughter, baby Kaylee. She grabbed a shopping cart. She placed Kaylee's car seat inside of it before then eventually moving out of camera view and going into the grocery store. And that moment right then would become the last confirmed sighting of Kelsey alive. That was Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22nd. Then three days later, on November 25th, the investigators learned that Kelsey's phone had pinged in Gooding, Idaho, more than 700 miles away from her condo in Colorado. Now, as strange as that was, yes, how did her phone get 700 miles away? It did also offer a very small shred of hope. Kelsey had family not only in Washington, but she also did have family in Idaho. So investigators started to wonder whether or not she could have possibly traveled there. But after looking into it, authorities found no evidence whatsoever that Kelsey herself had actually been in Idaho. The only thing tying her there was that phone ping. Now, what's interesting is there was also still activity coming from Kelsey's phone that same day. One message had even been sent to her employer claiming that something had come up and that she wouldn't be coming into work the following week. So now it felt like the puzzle pieces were kind of slowly starting to come together. During the first press conference about Kelsey's disappearance, investigators kept most details very close to the vest. They said nothing publicly about the blood in the condo or the growing concerns about foul play.
- [26:16]
Police Investigator
I want to give you a brief timeline and kind of bring you current with where we're at right now. I would first like to start off by just thanking everybody that took the time out to come forward and spread this message of Kelsey being missing and helping us to find her. Kelsey's been missing and been reported missing by her mother, Cheryl, since Sunday, Dec. 2 at about 12:37pm Mountain Standard Times. Officers were able to contact her place of employment at Doss Aviation down in Pueblo, Colorado, and were advised that they had received a text from Kelsey's phone on the 25th of November stating that she would not be into work the following week. Officers from the Woodland park police department did respond to kelsey's residence on December 2 and performed a community caretaker search of her residence to see if they could locate her. She was not inside her residence. Cheryl did reach out to Kelsey's fiance, Patrick Frazee, and he called her back, saying that he hadn't heard from her since November 25th. When Kelsey texted him, Patrick told officers that he hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving, November 22, when he exchanged their daughter, Kelsey Kaylee Barrett. Kaylee is currently with her father, Patrick. We've reviewed video from the local Safeway grocery store, and it showed Kelsey shopping with her daughter Kaylee on November 22 at about 12:27pm that's the last time Kelsey was seen. Reports are correct that Kelsey's phone gave a location near gooding, Idaho on November 25th at about 5:13 in the afternoon.
- [27:50]
Annie Elise
Reporters asked question after question, but authorities revealed very, very little. Then Kelsey's mom, Cheryl, spoke. Now, by that point, it had been 19 days since she last heard from her daughter. I'd just like to talk to you a little bit about Kelsey. She's not the kind that runs off. This is completely out of character. Kelsey loves her God. She loves her family and friends, and she loves her job. Honestly, you could feel and hear the desperation from Kelsey's family and friends, which, hello, anyone would be terrified if someone that they loved had vanished for nearly three weeks. Yet somehow, the one person who didn't seem particularly concerned was Kelsey's fiance, the father of her child, Patrick. I mentioned earlier how nonchalant he sounded during that first phone call with her mom, Cheryl. And that attitude, it never really changed. Patrick had even been invited to attend the press conference, but he never showed up. And apparently he didn't even bother offering an explanation for why he skipped it. He just ghosted. And honestly, that spoke volumes to a lot of the people who were watching and keeping an eye on this case. So naturally, public suspicion toward Patrick, it started building almost immediately. Patrick refused to speak publicly himself. However, his attorney did release a statement saying that Patrick had fully cooperated with investigators, that he had voluntarily turned over his phone, and that he also provided a DNA sample. The statement ended by saying that Patrick hoped and prayed for Kelsey's safe return. And look, investigators did back up parts of that statement publicly, saying that Patrick had been cooperative and that he was not officially considered a suspect at that time. By then, Patrick had already completed multiple interviews with investigators, and he had also provided a timeline of his Thanksgiving Day activities, his whereabouts, what he did, which. Let's just walk through that timeline together for, you know, the sake of it, just so you have a full understanding. As we know, Patrick claimed that Thanksgiving morning, Kelsey broke up with him. Then, according to him, the two of them met in an alleyway behind Kelsey's condo so that they could exchange custody of Kaylee. Now, remember, Kelsey and Kaylee had been seen together at Safeway around 12:27pm Then at 12:54pm Patrick appeared on surveillance footage at Walmart, which he remained there for about what, give or take, 20 minutes, until approximately 1:17pm and what made that footage significant was the shopping cart that Patrick was pushing. Inside his cart was the exact same infant car seat and baby blanket that was seen earlier in the Safeway footage with Kelsey. Kaylee herself was never clearly visible on camera from Walmart's angle, but investigators believed that she was there because the blanket matched perfectly. So, based on the timeline, Kelsey and Patrick likely met sometime after Kelsey left Safeway at 12:27pm but before Patrick arrived at Walmart at 12:54pm which, at least on paper, it was completely plausible. It's small window of time. Yes, it's roughly 30 minutes, but absolutely possible. And according to Patrick, that exchange in the alleyway was the very last time that he saw Kelsey. So all to say, Patrick was cooperating with the investigators and at least publicly, it just seemed like he didn't want to speak with the media, which, honestly, I can understand that to a certain extent, if someone speaks publicly about their missing loved one. I mean, as you Know every single word, every single facial expression, every moment of body language, it just gets dissected. However, we also know that if they don't speak publicly, that gets criticized, too. I mean, personally, thank God I've never been in this experience, but I would just imagine that if my husband were missing for three weeks, I don't think that I would be quietly staying out of the spotlight. I think I would be advocating for his safe return, and I would be trying to do everything I could possibly do to raise awareness. But, I don't know, Everybody handles things differently, I guess. So then, just two days after that press conference, there was a major development. Investigators secured a search warrant for Patrick's property. And honestly, that confused a lot of people because authorities had just publicly insisted that. That Patrick was cooperating and that he wasn't considered a suspect. Not only that, but even after the warrant, investigators were still refusing to officially label him as a suspect or even as a person of interest. And I know I talked about the farm a little bit, but Patrick's property was massive. It was around 35 acres. So plenty of land, plenty of places to hide evidence, to conceal things, and to make searches incredibly difficult.
- [32:44]
Police Investigator
Our investigators believe that Kelsey's disappearance is more suspicious and that she is not intentionally avoiding efforts to find her. We are asking Patrick to sit down with investigators since he is the last person to talk with Kelsey face to face, based on our investigation.
- [32:59]
Annie Elise
But once again, after the search wrapped up, authorities revealed almost nothing publicly. They still wouldn't call Patrick a suspect either, and they refused to say whether investigators found anything significant at all at the ranch. And silence like that, it usually means one of two things. One, investigators are either completely lost, or two, they are much closer to solving the case than people realize. Meanwhile, even though Patrick wasn't officially considered a suspect, the media had already zeroed in on him. News outlets were interviewing people who knew him. They were asking what kind of person he was, whether people believed that he. He could somehow be involved in Kelsey's disappearance. I mean, it was a media frenzy. I always considered him to be a gentle soul, soft spoken and just really down to earth and practical. Sonya Oliver says she has known Frazee, a rancher, for five years. Do you think he possibly had anything to do with his fiance's disappearance? I. I couldn't imagine him doing anything that would harm anyone. You personally do not believe he had anything to do with it? I just can't imagine Patrick doing anything like that. According to one of Patrick's close friends, Patrick was acting surprisingly calm throughout this entire ordeal, even after the search warrants and his explanation for being so calm, that was pretty interesting. Patrick allegedly told his friend that Kelsey had disappeared before. According to him, this wasn't unusual behavior for her. He said that she had a serious drug and alcohol problem and that in the past, Kelsey had suddenly vanished and then would just later turn up. After checking herself into rehab, she would return home. She went right back to work afterward, like normal, like nothing ever happened. So, according to Patrick, he said he wasn't panicking because he assumed that Kelsey would eventually resurface after whatever rehab facility she had supposedly gone to this time, maybe even one in Idaho where her phone was pinging, you know, she was released from, or she left voluntarily from. And look, honestly, as damaging as those claims already were, Patrick didn't stop there. He was also allegedly telling people that Kelsey was a bad mother, that she wasn't present in Kaylee's life, and that she had essentially left him to raise their daughter alone. He even claimed that Kelsey had been abusive toward Kaylee in the past. But I do want to make something very crystal clear here. There has never been any proof supporting those allegations. Nothing supporting the supposed drug and alcohol problem. The accusations of abuse, all of it came solely from Patrick. Nobody else in Kelsey's life had ever raised concerns like that about her. So while that was the narrative that Patrick was allegedly sharing privately with his friends, people close to Kelsey were also beginning to speak up, too. And as investigators started talking to Kelsey's co workers and her friends, a pattern started emerging. Because multiple people said that they had heard Kelsey vent about problems in her relationship with Patrick and that she had vented on multiple different occasions. And her co workers mostly described her in overwhelmingly positive ways, saying that she was hard working, dedicated. That after having Kaylee, they noticed how much responsibility Kelsey was carrying on her own. How if Kaylee woke up throughout the night, Kelsey was the one handling it. She'd still then, even after being exhausted, get up, go to work the next morning, running on barely any sleep. And on top of that, she lived about an hour away from her job. So between work, childcare, maintaining the condo, and commuting two hours every day, she was stretched pretty thin. But despite all of that, they said that Kelsey constantly spoke positively about her daughter Kaylee, and that she genuinely seemed to love being a mom. The only time that Kelsey ever really spoke negatively about her life at all was whenever the conversations turned to Patrick. I think I may have mentioned to you, but I've been trying to be a lot more intentional lately about how I unwind and relax, especially on nights where I feel like I want to take the edge off after a long day of recording, but I don't want to deal with, you know, the next next day regret that comes with alcohol and that's what initially led me to Willies Willy's is a premium THC infused social tonic that is crafted by the Willie Nelson and it delivers a smooth, uplifting social buzz but without the hangover. 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So go to im8health.comae right now or click on the link in the description and use code AE for a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets plus 10% off your order. That's code AE at im8health.com ae code ae@im8health.com ae these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Now, I will say Kelsey's co workers admitted that they didn't know every detail about her relationship with Patrick. But from the bits and pieces that Kelsey had shared, they knew that things between Kelsey, Patrick, and Patrick's mother were pretty rocky. They also knew that there had apparently been some sort of confrontation during Kelsey's pregnancy, though they didn't know exactly what had happened. But Kelsey's closest friends, they knew far more than her co workers did. And here's what her best friend had to say about it. Was just always mad about something she couldn't win. It sounds like she couldn't win. The things that he would say to her were somewhat demeaning. 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, too, right now. It became pretty clear that Patrick was not well liked by the people who knew Kelsey best. And from the outside looking in, their relationship definitely was not picture perfect. Now, obviously a troubled relationship alone, it doesn't mean that someone is capable of murder or a disappearance. However, Kelsey's best friend seemed to believe that something much darker may have happened. 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. So as time went on, investigators were beginning to wonder the same thing. Because the deeper that they dug into Patrick's story, the more inconsistencies they found, starting with his timeline. Remember, Patrick claimed that on Thanksgiving, he and Kelsey were each at their separate homes when then Kelsey broke up with him over the phone. Then, according to him, they briefly met in the alleyway behind Kelsey's condo so that he could pick up Kaylee. Now, honestly, that detail alone about the alleyway, it really stands out to me. Most people doing custody exchanges either meet somewhere publicly or they'll drop the child off at the other parent's house. There's not like a, we're breaking up, I'll meet you in the alley. I mean, maybe, but it strikes me as a bit odd. So this already felt weird. But then investigators got a huge break in the case one of Kelsey's neighbors came forward with surveillance footage, footage that completely contradicted Patrick's version of events. Because at 1:23pm on Thanksgiving Day, that neighbor's security camera, it captured Patrick, Kelsey, and Kaylee all entering Kelsey's condo together. And Kelsey and Kaylee, they were wearing the exact same outfits from the Safeway footage. And Kelsey, as she walked into the condo, was carrying a poinsettia plant that she had just purchased. You know, the big red floral ones for Christmas time. So according to this surveillance footage, all three of them went inside the condo. Then nobody came back out until roughly three hours later, 4:20pm and Patrick was the one seen leaving while carrying Kaylee. But Kelsey never appeared. Now, obviously, investigators found that incredibly suspicious, right? Because if your fiance is missing and police are actively trying to clear you, you think that you would share every possible detail that you could possibly remember, right? You're trying to clear yourself. You get have your alibi, your timeline. There's no innocent way to confuse this quick alleyway custody exchange with spending roughly three hours inside your fiance's condo with your daughter before then leaving alone with your daughter. And we know a lot can happen in three hours. Maybe they spent that time talking through the breakup. Maybe they were arguing or even trying to work things out, possibly discussing custody arrangements or figuring out how they were going to co parent Kaylee moving forward. But the point is, that is not some minuscule detail that you accidentally forget. So Patrick's story, it just simply was not matching reality. And then investigators discovered something else while going through Patrick's phone. And this may have been the biggest red flag yet. Patrick had been communicating with a woman named Crystal. Kenny and Crystal didn't live in Colorado like Patrick and Kelsey did. Instead, she lived in Idaho, not far from where Kelsey's phone last pinged. Now, on paper, everything about Crystal, it seemed overwhelmingly normal. She was a registered nurse, a former rodeo queen, a mother of two. She also had no criminal history or anything else alarming in her background. However, investigators quickly realized one thing. Crystal was romantically involved with Patrick. The text messages recovered from Patrick's phone made it pretty clear that the two of them were more than friends. And the investigators ultimately concluded that they were likely having an affair. So now investigators were looking at a situation where Patrick had been cheating on Kelsey and somehow, conveniently, Kelsey had supposedly broken up with him and then disappeared immediately afterward, leaving him suddenly free to pursue this other relationship. On top of that, Kelsey's phone had mysteriously pinged near the same area where Crystal lived in Idaho. I mean, at that point, the entire situation, it looked incredibly suspicious. So investigators decided to reach out to Crystal and start there. The first time that they spoke with her, she was pretty reserved. She told them that she barely knew Patrick and that she had no idea who Kelsey was. She also said she couldn't explain why Kelsey's phone had pinged anywhere near her. Except investigators knew that that wasn't true because they had seen the text messages. Still, though, rather than confront Crystal immediately with what they knew, they wanted to just kind of let her sit with that lie for a little while. Then later they contacted her again, and this time they told her that they knew that she hadn't been honest about how close she and Patrick really were. So that is when things started to shift, because Crystal then admitted that she did know Patrick, and not only that, but that she had known him for a very long time. So much so that the two of them even owned a horse together. Which this was an interesting detail because according to Crystal, she said because they shared this horse together. That's why she drove to Colorado on Thanksgiving Day. She claimed that she went there to meet with Patrick and talk about whether or not they should sell their horse, which this was a bombshell. This was huge because now Crystal was admitting that she had been in Colorado the same day that Kelsey disappeared. Yet she still claimed that she had no idea who Kelsey was. According to Crystal, the 13 hour drive from Idaho to Colorado was simply so that she and Patrick could discuss the horse in person. Patrick supposedly then told her, you know, it's not a good time to sell the horse. So she just turned around and drove back home, which, that's so crazy to me. A 26 hour round trip on Thanksgiving, all to have a conversation that could have been done through text message. I mean, come on credit where credit is due, at least have a more original cover story that we've never heard of. You're sleeping together, too, so obviously you're not going to just turn back around and drive home before, like, hanging out for a little bit and probably hooking up. I mean, terrible. And investigators also had realized something very important about Crystal through all of this. She did not work well under pressure, and that's why her story had changed. So they decided to now meet with her in person, hoping that the face to face line of questioning, it might just be enough to make her crack and crumble. But unfortunately, that's not what happened. Crystal got an attorney and she refused to answer most of their questions. Now, at this point, Kelsey had been missing for a Couple of weeks. But by the three week mark, something major had changed. Crystal. With her attorney right beside her, they went directly to the investigators and told them she was finally ready to tell them everything. And in that moment, the detectives knew that they were finally about to learn the truth about what happened to Kelsey on Thanksgiving Day. Now, what Crystal told them, it came out in over hours and hours of interrogation. So buckle in, because it is a lot. Crystal started by telling them the truth about her relationship with Patrick. She said that they met all the way back in 2006, which was like 10 years before Kelsey and Patrick met and 12 years before all this took place, when she was just 20 years old. And according to Crystal, from the moment that she saw Patrick, she was just smitten. He was tall, handsome, charming. He loved horses. And that was something that the two of them really had in common with one another. So they hit it off right away. So much so that Crystal said that she traveled to Colorado 10 different times in the months after they met. She also said that they talked on the phone every single day. She admitted that even though they were never officially together, she believed that Patrick was her first true love. However, Patrick didn't seem all that interested in actually committing. And eventually he stopped answering her calls and her text messages. Then over the next few years, they stayed in touch here and there as friends. They both started dating other people, and the dynamic between them was just kind of bizarre. It was like, not the one who got away, but like, they stayed in touch and they were friends. It was weird. I mean, for example, Patrick apparently first learned that Crystal was seeing someone new because the guy had left her a voicemail. And Patrick heard that voicemail because for some reason, not only did he have the password to her voicemail, but he would call in and check it. Then, in the summer of 2010, Crystal ended up getting engaged to another man. They were set to get married that October. However, the day before her wedding, the day before, Patrick left her a voicemail begging her not to go through with it, telling her that he would come rescue her. Like, that he would be her knight in shining armor. Almost like it was something out of a cheesy like rom com. Okay, Crystal said that she didn't call him back. But because of that voicemail, she was conflicted, because in her mind, Patrick was still her first true love. Which, remember, they had never even officially dated. But Crystal, for some reason, still craved Patrick's attention. And from the sound of it, Patrick enjoyed keeping her, you know, just close enough to string her along. She Ended up getting married, though. And after she got married, Patrick stopped texting, texting, and calling her, and Crystal moved forward with her life. She eventually had two children, was trying to move forward, but it wasn't over. In 2014, she and Patrick got back in contact. At first, they just texted back and forth as friends, but then Crystal and her husband started having some marital problems. So in 2016, Crystal made the trip to Colorado so that she could see Patrick for the first time in years. According to her, Patrick encouraged her to get a divorce. He said he wanted to be with her, he wanted to build a life with her, he wanted to have a family together. Which, again, as a side note, 2016 was the same year that Patrick and Kelsey met online and started their relationship. Yet he's promising the world to this other woman. So, based on Crystal's version of events, Patrick's entire relationship with Kelsey was just completely built on a lie from the very beginning. And we're not even close to being done with what Crystal had to say about all of this. In early 2016, Crystal said that she filed for divorce. And around that same time, she also found out she was pregnant with Patrick's baby. But Patrick's reaction, it was not what she expected. He wasn't excited at all, even though he had supposedly been telling her the entire time that he wanted a future with her and a family with her. So Crystal ultimately terminated the pregnancy. However, she told Patrick that she had miscarried. And according to her, regardless of what actually happened, Patrick could not have cared less. And honestly, like, what a piece of filth, trash, garbage human being, truly. And you would have thought that that alone would have been enough for Crystal to never speak to him again, but it wasn't. They continued talking, calling, texting, even meeting in person. And Crystal said that Patrick never once mentioned Kelsey or mentioned having a daughter. Apparently, she only learned about his other life when somebody else finally spilled the beans to her. And she claimed that when she confronted Patrick about it, he didn't even try to deny anything. He just told her he didn't want to talk about it. Like, that was it. Like, I don't want to talk about it. And like, case closed. But over time, Patrick did start opening up. He would send Crystal pictures of his daughter, Kaylee. He eventually began talking about Kelsey, too, although, according to Crystal, he never had anything positive to say about her. And Crystal told the investigators that she had no idea that Patrick and Kelsey were ever even engaged. According to her, whenever Patrick talked about Kelsey, he never even referred to her by name. He only called her, quote, the mother of my child. Then over time, Patrick started making allegations that Kelsey was abusing Kaylee. He claimed to Crystal that he had contacted CPS about it before, but that nothing ever came from it. So then that escalated, or he escalated, I should say, according to Crystal. And he started asking Crystal really strange questions, questions that almost seemed designed to test her morals and to figure out what she would be willing to justify.
- [53:54]
Crystal Kenny
He had been talking to me the month prior about if I believed that people should do anything in their power to keep something that is innocent safe. And I was kind of baffled by the, you know, the. I said, well, yeah, I mean, I don't. I told him a story about a very close friend of mine that lost a grandson due to what they believed was abuse and how horrible that was. And I didn't realize until later that he was talking about his little girl being the one that's innocent until he sent me pictures of her.
- [54:41]
Annie Elise
Patrick kept talking about this alleged abuse and finally in October, he told her he needed her help. He claimed that Kaylee was in imminent danger and that he had to do something and he had to act fast. So Patrick asked Crystal if she would help him and if she would spike Kelsey's favorite drink, a caramel macchiato, and kill her. One thing that I've been paying more attention to lately is trying to support my overall health, but in a simple way that actually fits my routine and something that often gets overlooked in all of that. You can take supplements for everything, but it's your liver health, which the truth is your liver is working around the clock. It processes what you consume, it supports hundreds of important functions in your body every single day. And when it's overworked, you can start feeling sluggish, dealing with energy dips or just not feeling your best. And that's what really makes dose interesting because it's a clinically backed liver health supplement. But instead of another pill or powder, It's a simple 2 ounce liquid shot that tastes like fresh squeezed orange juice. So it's incredibly easy to incorporate into a daily routine and it supports daily liver function, metabolism, digestion, and it helps your liver do the job that it's designed to do. Plus, it has zero sugar, zero junk and zero calories. So are you ready to give your liver the support that it deserves? Head to DueDaily Co Annie or enter Annie to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you, so let's do something for it that's D O S e D A I l y co Annie for 35% off your first month subscription. Now, what's unbelievable about all of this is that Crystal was actually going to do it. She drove all the way from Idaho to Colorado prepared to kill Kelsey for Patrick. She went to Starbucks. She got Kelsey's favorite drink. She went to her condo. It was fully planned out. And the way that she did all of this is Crystal pretended to be a new neighbor. She just went up to Kelsey, introduced herself. She didn't put the drugs into the drink right away because she said that she wanted to talk to Kelsey first. She wanted to get a feel for who Kelsey really was, to see if she truly was as horrible as Patrick was saying that she was. But instead, Kelsey was welcoming and sweet. She talked about meeting Patrick, moving to Colorado from Washington, having a daughter with him. And according to Crystal, Kelsey just seemed so normal, so kind. So Crystal chickened out. She couldn't do it. She was a nurse herself, too. She saved lives. She didn't take them. Crystal told investigators she actually thought that Patrick would be relieved when she told him that she hadn't gone through with it. Like, maybe. Maybe he would snap out of it and be like, thank God. That was a horrible idea. I'm so glad we didn't do this. Like, you, you know, thank you. Thank you. But that's not what happened. According to Crystal, Patrick was livid.
- [57:48]
Crystal Kenny
It was clear to you that he wanted Kelsey dead. But I didn't. So the man that I thought I knew, I didn't think he really meant that. I didn't think he really meant it. Like, I thought maybe he was just emotional about something or that he was just that it wasn't. I didn't think that he. He. I think he thought it might be a good idea, but really, he probably was just pulling my chain, or maybe he was trying to make me jump through a hoop, or maybe he was seeing if I would do what he wanted me to do. I don't. At this point in time, when I reflect back on that, I don't. I don't know for sure.
- [58:33]
Annie Elise
He told her the abuse was getting worse and that if she wouldn't kill Kelsey, he had other friends who would. Now, if that were me, I'm saying, okay, fine, go ask your other friends then. And by the way, I'm calling the cops on your sorry ass, too. But Patrick, remember, he had this hold over Crystal. He knew exactly what to say to make her chase his approval and his validation. So Patrick came up with a second plan. And again, Crystal was still supposed to be the one actually doing the killing. But this time, Patrick Lee allegedly instructed her to hit Kelsey in the back of the head with a pipe that he had given her. And once again, just like before, Crystal seemed ready to go through with it. She took the pipe, drove to Kelsey's condo, and she planned on posing as that friendly neighbor once again. But as soon as she pulled up to Kelsey's condo, Kelsey's dog started barking. So because of that, Crystal got spooked. She got too nervous to go to the front door. Then when Patrick found out that she had backed out and chickened out once again, he was again furious. And so that's when Crystal claims that she finally started realizing that everything that Patrick had told her about Kelsey was probably a complete lie. Because here Crystal was living states away, not even in this committed relationship with him, stuck in this strange on again, off again dynamic. Yet Patrick was still constantly angry with her, manipulating her, belittling her. So Crystal started thinking, if this is how he treats me, what the hell is Kelsey actually going through? But Patrick kept texting her, kept telling her that if something happened to Kaylee, if something happened to his one year old daughter, it would be her fault for not going through with the murder. So even though he had repeatedly claimed that he had other friends who could, you know, get the job done, Patrick continued pressuring Crystal. On November 4, 2018, he called her once again and he told her she needed to come back to Colorado and she needed to come that weekend because she needed to kill Kelsey. However, Crystal claimed she couldn't make the drive and that flights were too expensive. So too bad, so sad. It's not gonna happen. After that, she said she didn't hear from Patrick again until November 21, the day before Kelsey was last seen alive. And oddly enough, according to Crystal, that phone call was completely casual. They weren't talking about Kelsey, they weren't talking about the alleged abuse, nothing like that at all. But the very next day on Thanksgiving, everything changed. Crystal said that Patrick suddenly started blowing up her phone, Calling repeatedly, texting, things like, answer your phone. But because it was Thanksgiving, Crystal said she wasn't really checking her phone very much. She was spending time with her family. By the time that she actually finally called Patrick back later in the day, he sounded very frantic and completely flustered. According to Crystal, all he said was that he, quote, had a mess he needed to clean up. And Crystal told the investigators that in that moment, she immediately knew that Patrick had killed Kelsey and now he was asking her to help him Cover it up. So on November 24, Crystal drove back to Colorado. Patrick handed her the keys to Kelsey's condo, and Crystal brought cleaning supplies and trash bags with her. And when she walked into that condo, what she described, it was something straight out of a horror movie. Only obviously, this was not fiction. It was real life. According to Crystal, it was way worse than anything that she had ever seen during her time working as a nurse. Kelsey's body was gone, but Crystal said that she immediately knew that Kelsey was dead. And she knew that because there was blood everywhere.
- [62:10]
Crystal Kenny
There was blood on the floor in the kitchen. There was blood. There was blood on the east wall that I had to climb up on the stairs and move a chair to get to. I had. There was blood on the. There was a TV with two chairs that were holding the TV there. There was blood all over the chairs. There's blood. There's a. Like a cedar chest in the living room. There was blood all over it. There's blood on the rock face of the fact that fireplace. And in the rough out of the wood on the fireplace. There's blood on the curtains. There's blood on the curtain that was on the south wall, Blood on the blinds, blood on pictures, Blood on the couch, on books, on the wall. There's blood above the sink. There was blood on the floor in the kitchen, on the baby gate, and then all over the floor in the living room.
- [63:20]
Annie Elise
Crystal described the blood splatter on the wall as though a paintbrush had been dipped into paint and then flicked repeatedly across the room. There was blood on the furniture. Blood crusted into picture frames, picture frames that contained photos of Kelsey, Patrick, and little Kaylee. It was just a bloodbath everywhere. Crystal said that she spent roughly four hours inside that condo, bleaching and cleaning nearly every surface that she could. However, according to her, she says that she intentionally left behind small signs that the condo had been wiped down. She even claimed that she purposefully left tiny traces of blood behind, hoping that the investigators would eventually discover them. Because even though she absolutely craved Patrick's love and approval, fear also played a major role in why she helped him. She claimed that Patrick had threatened her multiple times before asking her to help clean up the crime scene and that she genuinely believed that something terrible would happen if she refused. On one occasion, she said that Patrick told her, when you're in as deep as I was in, it's not that uncommon for little girls to go missing from the playground. And according to Crystal, that threat really stuck with her, because, remember, she had two Young children of her own. Another time, Crystal claimed that Patrick made comments about how her ex husband was a really good dad and would be okay on his own, which she interpreted as a threat against her own life. Crystal also said that when she saw what Patrick had allegedly done to Kelsey, she became terrified that she would be next. According to her, she had never truly believed that Patrick was capable of actual violence, not until she walked into that condo and saw everything herself. So that's why she claimed she intentionally left behind those clues for investigators to find. Now, obviously, Crystal's role in all of this is incredibly controversial, and it's a part of the case that I am really curious to hear your thoughts on, because, honestly, I have mixed feelings about it myself. I mean, I absolutely understand fear, especially fear for your children. But at the same time, this confession, it only came after investigators had confronted Crystal with the evidence showing that she had lied multiple times. So if she truly wanted investigators to find out what had happened to Kelsey, and then they go and find Crystal and ask her, why lie to them? Why lawyer up? Why? Hi. Like, wasn't that your intent all along to get them to figure it out? And who actually knows whether or not the story about intentionally leaving blood behind is true? I mean, maybe it is. Or maybe once her attorney realized that the blood evidence is what launched this investigation, he made Crystal look more cooperative than she actually was. But believe it or not, Crystal still wasn't done confessing. She said that after helping him clean up the crime scene, she went and picked up food for him and little Kaylee. And she said that while they were eating, Patrick allegedly began telling her exactly what happened inside Kelsey's condo. According to Crystal, Patrick told her he believed that a baseball bat was the best weapon. So he hid one up his sleeve, and he went over to Kelsey's condo. Then he allegedly convinced Kelsey to play a game. He tied a sweater over her eyes like it was a blindfold. And he told her that she needed to guess the scent of a candle that he was supposedly going to hold under her nose. Which, honestly, this part just absolutely breaks my heart, Because Kelsey probably thought that they were going to spend this beautiful Thanksgiving together as a family, Eat dinner, bake something, work through their issues. He brings this sweater out for a blindfold, Being like, oh, we're doing something playful, romantic, a little game, all while he is plotting to attack her while she's, you know, blindfolded and has no idea. It's devastating to think about. According to Crystal, once Kelsey was finally blindfolded, Patrick began striking her repeatedly with the baseball bat. But honestly, one of the most disturbing parts of Crystal's confession wasn't even the attack. It itself. It was how casually Patrick allegedly described it afterward. Because Crystal said that Patrick referred to this horrific murder as simply swinging away. And even worse, he allegedly told her that afterward, he realized it was inhumane and that in the future, he would just use normal weapons. Like, oh, in the future, if I ever have to do this, I'll just use a gun or a knife using a baseball bat. And, you know, swinging away is inhumane. Like, what. What a monster. Which, to me, that statement also completely destroys that narrative that Patrick had allegedly been pushing about how this was all to save his daughter, to save her from Kelsey. I mean, if that were. If it was a last resort, desperate type of situation, why would you already be talking about future murders? Come on. But despite all of that, Crystal still continued helping Patrick cover everything up. According to her, Kelsey's body remained inside a tote container in the back of Patrick's truck for multiple days. Crystal even claimed that Patrick had commented about how difficult it was to sit through Thanksgiving dinner with his family, all while the body of the mother of his child was sitting in the truck outside. Then, on November 25, Patrick allegedly began disposing of Kelsey's remains. Crystal told investigators that she watched Patrick throw this tote into a water trough on his ranch. Then he doused it with gasoline, and he set it on fire.
- [68:41]
Crystal Kenny
Kelsey Burrough's body was taken to Patrick Frazee's property. I did not see the body. It was in a black tote. It was placed in a trough. Accelerant was poured on it, and it was set on fire. And then I left. Did you witness that? Yes. When Was that? On November 12th, 24th. How do you know Kelsey was in the tote? Because he told me she was in the tote. Is that. I don't. I didn't see. I didn't see, but. Go ahead. It's all right. She was in the tote. But what is it that leads you to believe that she was in a tote? He wanted that tote gone. He wanted that tote gone, and he told me that she was in the tote. I removed belongings from the trunk and
- [69:50]
Annie Elise
put them into the burn.
- [69:52]
Police Investigator
Was the fire going at the time?
- [69:54]
Crystal Kenny
Yeah.
- [69:55]
Annie Elise
Were you pressing present when he started the fire?
- [69:57]
Crystal Kenny
Yes, I was.
- [69:58]
Annie Elise
Afterward, Patrick allegedly handed Crystal Kelsey's phone, her purse, and a handgun. Then, once Crystal drove back to Idaho, she accidentally caused Kelsey's phone to ping nearby in the process of all of this. And once she got there, she burned the purse and she burned the phone. She then placed the ashes into a box, she sealed it inside a plastic bag, and she threw it away in a random trash can while she was driving to work. Work. As for Kelsey's gun, Crystal admits that she gave it to a friend, which this confession, it completely changed the direction of this case, and it ultimately led to Patrick being arrested on his ranch just four days before Christmas in 2018. He was charged in connection with Kelsey's murder, and immediately he pleaded not guilty. Now, as for Crystal, she obviously was not innocent in any of this either. She was arrested, too. But she very quickly negotiated a plea arrangement. Under the deal, if she testified against Patrick, she would only serve three years in prison for evidence tampering. And honestly, I totally understand why that does not sit right with a lot of people. Because regardless of Patrick's manipulation, Crystal knew for months that he wanted Kelsey dead. She had multiple opportunities to go to the police or to warn Kelsey, but instead, she helped conceal the murder after it happened. Which, like I said before, her involvement in this case, it remains incredibly controversial. During sentencing, Crystal addressed Kelsey's family directly, and she said this. I know saying I'm sorry is not good enough. I don't even know what the right word would be to describe the remorse that I feel. I'm sorry Kaylee will not have her biological mother. And I'm sorry to everyone who's been affected by this horrible tragedy. I am so sorry that I could not save Kelsey. Which you could have saved Kelsey many times. You could have saved her. You could have called the police. You could have talked to Kelsey. You could have done the right thing. What do you mean? And honestly, one of the scariest parts of this entire case is the possibility that Patrick may have actually gotten away with all of it if Crystal hadn't confessed. Because during Patrick's trial in late 2019, a few major things became very clear. The biggest issue, there was no body. To this day, Kelsey's remains have never been recovered. Which, if Crystal's account is accurate, it unfortunately makes sense why? The second issue was the lack of strong forensic evidence tying either Crystal or Patrick directly to the murder scene. Crystal's DNA wasn't found at all. And Patrick's DNA was only found in very limited quantities, such small amounts that it would be consistent with him simply being Kelsey's fiance, who regularly visits the condo. For example, his DNA, it was not found mixed in with any of the blood evidence. So, again, if Crystal truly cleaned the Scene thoroughly with bleach like she claimed. That would explain why investigators had so little forensic evidence left behind. And those two points became the backbone of Patrick's defense. During his trial, his attorneys also attacked Crystal's credibility. I mean, relentlessly, portraying her as a jealous liar who just wanted revenge because Patrick ultimately didn't choose her. But there was one piece of evidence that the investigators uncovered that tied Crystal's confession together in a way that the defense could not explain away. After confessing, Crystal completed a walkthrough of Kelsey's condo with the investigators. And during that walkthrough, she told them that while she was cleaning, she found one of Kelsey's teeth. It had allegedly been knocked out during that attack with the baseball bat.
- [73:34]
Police Investigator
You remember where the tooth was?
- [73:45]
Crystal Kenny
Around the tooth. What was there, if anything.
- [73:49]
Annie Elise
Now, investigators later found that tooth on Patrick's property. It was near that water trough where Crystal claimed Patrick had burned evidence. So, yes, that's one very small piece of evidence. Kelsey's tooth. But it still was strong enough to end up reinforcing Crystal's confession in a massive way. Patrick's trial lasted more than 10 days, but when it came time for deliberations, the jury only needed a little over three hours to reach a verdict. Good evening and thank you so much for joining us for our western edition. We begin with breaking news tonight from Colorado. In a murder case drawing national attention over its shocking details, a jury deliberated for just three and a half hours before convicting Patrick Fry of beating his fiance Kelsey Barreth to death while their one year old daughter was in a nearby room. Patrick was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional 156 years. Today, Patrick and Kelsey's daughter Kaylee is being raised by Kelsey's parents. And honestly, I can't even imagine what that must feel like. Seeing pieces of your daughter in her child every single day, your granddaughter, and seeing, you know, her eyes, her face, her smile, knowing that Kelsey herself never got to watch Kaylee grow up. It's just so heartbreaking in so many ways and so senseless and just deeply cruel and unbelievably tragic. I mean, we say all the time, just get a divorce. They weren't even married. Why did he need to kill Kelsey? Is it because he was too much of a coward to leave her? Is it because he wanted to look like the good guy? There are so many mistakes and questions and like, senseless choices made along the way. And for what? Now this daughter that you claim you were so insistent on protecting and that that was the motive. She now doesn't have either one of her parents because of your selfish choice and your barbaric actions. It's horrible. It is absolutely horrible. And my heart just goes out to Kelsey's entire family. I know that this was a little bit of, like, a twisty one and very difficult to listen to, but I appreciate you hearing Kelsey's story and what happened to her. And I just, I pray that Kaylee grows up to be a happy, loving little girl and knows how much her mom truly loved her, honestly. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode today. I'll be back with you on Thursday with headline highlights breaking down everything going on this week in the true crime world. If you're not subscribed already on YouTube, press that subscribe button. If you're not following this podcast follow so that you don't miss future episodes. And as a reminder, a brand new episode will be released on my second true crime podcast tomorrow, 10 to Life. So make sure you're following both of those if you're a podcast listener so that you can get a brand new episode tomorrow on a whole new case. All right, guys, thank you so much. And until the next one, be nice, don't kill people, don't be a coward, and just put the children first. Okay, bye.