The parents of a missing Colorado woman have filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking unspecified damages from the man accused of murdering her.
The Denver Channel reports that Darrell and Cheryl Berreth, the parents of Kelsey Berreth, have filed a wrongful death suit against Patrick Frazee, the father of Berreth’s 1-year-old daughter who was arrested last month on suspicion of murdering 29-year-old Berreth, whose body has not been found.
The lawsuit indicates that Berreth’s relatives agree with the assessment of Colorado authorities that Berreth is no longer alive, and that a crime took place in her Woodland Park, Colorado, home. The young mother was a licensed pilot who worked as a flight instructor, and has not been seen since Thanksgiving Day, when Frazee reportedly said he met with Berreth to hand off their daughter, who is now in the temporary custody of Berreth’s parents.
The Denver Channel obtained a court filing, which shows that the lawsuit claims Berreth was “murdered on or about November 22, 2018, at the direction and/or hand of Frazee in or about Woodland Park, Teller County, state of Colorado.”
The lawsuit also indicates Berreth’s relatives believe Frazee abused Berreth before her murder. “Frazee enacted physical, mental, and emotional acts of violence upon Kelsey Berreth prior to her death,” the lawsuit reads. “Frazee breached the duty of care with which a reasonable person should conduct himself toward another human being.”
Frazee appeared in court on Monday when he was formally charged with five felony counts: Two first-degree murder charges, and three counts of solicitation of first-degree murder. At this time, authorities have not publicly identified any additional persons of interest in the investigation, though multiple news outlets have reported that a nurse in Idaho is believed to be under investigation for possibly being involved in the disposal of Berreth’s cell phone, which pinged outside Gooding, Idaho, three days after she went missing.