Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Cell phone pings, garbage dumps & parked trucks offer clues in probe of missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth

Episode Date: December 19, 2018

The investigation into what happened to missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth is intensifying with new information about her fiance's movements, although Patrick Frazee has not been named a suspect in the case. Nancy Grace looks at the latest with a panel including Holly Hughes, Atlanta criminal defense lawyer & former prosecutor Holly Hughes,  psychologist & lawyer Dr. Brian Russell -- host of Investigation Discovery's "Fatal Vows" series, private investigator Vincent Hill,-- author of "Playbook to a Murder," and  CrimeOnline reporter Ellen Killoran. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Crimestopopshere.com Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Two employees spoke with us about seeing Patrick Frazee along with two other men here at the Waste Management driving a white pickup truck and hauling a trailer which they dumped the trash out of. We reached out to law enforcement to see if we could figure out what happened because they closed, they made a scene here after that happened and CBI spokeswomen told us they weren't able to confirm any information because of an ongoing investigation. These photos were captured by e management property yeste

Park police cars parked o witnesses, Frazee was se pickup and was pulling a was not driving the usua seen him in before that w during a search warrant over the weekend. According to employees, Frazee was accompanied by two other men, but he never got out of the truck. Instead, the men dumped the trash for him.

Because of his relationship to Kelsey Barrett, employees decided to call police. Witnesses say police watched Frazee using binoculars and only entered the property once Frazee was gone. Employees told us police collected several items that were left behind. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. The search for missing mom flight instructor Kelsey Barath goes on. You were just hearing from our friends at KRDO News 13.

That was Alexis Dominguez reporting. It's not good for cops to be hiding and watching you with binoculars. I know that much. Joining me right now, Atlanta criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor, Holly Hughes, host of Investigation Discovery's hit show, Fatal Vows, Dr. Brian Russell, cop turned PI, and author of Playbook to a Murder, Vincent Hill. Joining me right now, Ellen Kaloran, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, where you can find this and all other crime stories. She's breaking news on this one, left and right.

We got to remember, E.K., Ellen Kaloran, this is not a quote story as media people like to say this is a mom this is a young mom with a one-year-old talk girl and a mother and a family missing her and this is no mommy's girl hiding behind as I like to say her powder puff and lip gloss this is a seasoned flight instructor even at her young age I find it very very difficult to believe that this mother who had never done this before would text in to her boss at the aviation company and say oh I'm out for the next week I'm not

buying it I don't think she's taken a powder with another boyfriend with her fiance waiting in the wings. Ellen Kaloran, in the last hours, a lot of breaking news. Tell me what you know. This is a missing person. This is a missing mom, an accomplished, independent young woman who is responsible and would likely not just take off a week of work without telling anyone. In the last hours and days, we have some new information. We know that Patrick Frazee, Kelsey's fiancee, was seen at a waste management facility with two other men unidentified at this point, they came in separate vehicles. Frazee stayed inside of a white pickup truck as the other two men hauled off some trash from a trailer attached to that truck.

Police were called in, and we understand that they did take some trash away from the facility. I also find it interesting, EK, that they're not revealing what they took even when they were asked and that they watched him with binoculars. It's not like a cop coming up to you and going, hey, you know, you got a tail light out. You know, there's no pretense about it. They actually were in hiding and there's nothing wrong with that as far as what the cops are doing. You know, I've been on many, many a stakeout, more than I can even count. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with surveilling what is in open and plain sight, which is what they were doing. But my point is, when you are not up front and open with the person, that means you're suspicious. As of right now, the fiancé, Frazee, has not been named a person of interest or a suspect.

Now, everybody throws out trash, I hope. But in addition to a special trip to the dumpster, I find this very disturbing. Listen. She's lived off Lake Avenue for years, sharing cordial conversation, even family stories with Kelsey Barrett. She's an awesome person. She's so kind and so you could tell she's a very kind hearted person. The neighbor didn't want us showing her face or using her real name to prevent excess attention. But she offers new details on activity at Kelsey's home Thanksgiving Day. What do you remember seeing Thanksgiving Day just up the road here?

I looked up there and there was both red pickups up there Thanksgiving Day, and that was from about 1230 to 1. She says she never saw anybody, but the information aligns with what Frazee told police through his attorney, saying he picked up their daughter sometime Thanksgiving Day. The Safeway surveillance video includes a 1205 time stamp, meaning the truck would have arrived shortly thereafter. The other two cars were parked with the vehicles facing the apartment, but his was parked sideways behind them. The neighbor says it's the same truck she's seen the last two years, driven by a man picking up and

dropping off a baby and when i showed her video of frazie's truck towed off his property friday she says it looks the same you are hearing from our friends at koaa news 5 a denver reporter sam kramer speaking to a neighbor of kelsey bears you know what let's back it up for a moment. Ellen, start at the beginning. Tell me the timeline, then we'll go to our our experts Vincent Hill, Dr. Brian Russell, and Holly Hughes. Go ahead, Ellen. So we're now nearly a month since Kelsey Beres went missing. She was last seen on Thanksgiving Day. The last time she was seen publicly was at a Safeway supermarket with her daughter.

Frazee has told authorities that he met with her later that day so he could pick up their daughter because they don't live together. And as the neighbor's interview shows, it does appear that someone driving the same pickup truck that the neighbor had seen before was at Kelsey's home early that afternoon. And she has not been seen since then. I want to talk also about the cell phone pings but first of all out to Holly Hughes former prosecutor current Atlanta criminal

defense attorney who has tried many many cases. Holly at at first blush you know her the fiance has been called a quote gentle giant he's the last one to see her. While cops are not calling him a suspect or a person of interest, he's got to be their main focus right now because he's the last person to see her. There's no doubt about it. And how many times have we heard, he was such a nice boy, he was so quiet. People said that about Jeffrey Dahmer. So right off the top, he's placed himself as the last person to see her.

Secondarily, he is involved with her and they share a child together, which puts also another checkmark next to his name. And then you've got this suspicious activity where he's renting a trailer and hauling quote unquote trash out to, you know, this particular dumping site, but not getting out of the car and handling it himself. So there are many reasons that the police are going to be looking at him and what they're doing at this point, not naming him because they're protecting, as you were saying earlier, they're protecting the investigation, the integrity of the investigation. They are just quietly in the background watching what's happening and gathering

the evidence they are going to need. If and when they ever get this into a court of law, I'm very, very interested to you, Vincent Hill regarding his car, his vehicle being parked sideways behind the two her two cars. Yeah, Nancy, it's curious.

Police haven't named him a suspect, but his actions are definitely suspicious. So he's the last person to see her. He's at her apartment shortly after she's seen on his surveillance footage and then skipped a few weeks later. He's at a dump site. You know, what happened inside that apartment, Nancy? Because that is essentially that we know the last place she was seen, according to this neighbor. So could something have happened inside

that apartment that we don't know about that led to this dump site? We don't know, Nancy. Kelsey's fiance, Patrick Frazee, told police he last saw her Thanksgiving afternoon when he picked up their daughter. Kelsey was not reported missing until 10 days later by her mother. Patrick has done everything that he has been asked for by law enforcement. Jeremy Lowe, Patrick Frazee's attorney, says his client has been interviewed by law enforcement, voluntarily released his phone to be searched by investigators and provided photographs along with cheek swabs for DNA. Police have said Frazee is cooperating. I have no reason to believe that he is a suspect,

and the police have not isolated him as a suspect in this case. Frazee and Barrett do not live together, but Barrett's mother says their bond is strong. The relationship has been good. They're loving. She remains hopeful her daughter will be found. The speculation hasn't been helpful. Don't try to figure this out. We've got people trying to do that. Just share the photo. There's more important things to be done. At this point, police say the case remains a missing person's investigation. In the back of my mind, sure, there's a possibility something else could have

happened, but it does me no good to go down that road and I don't think it does Kelsey any good either. 29-year-old Kelsey Barrett has not been seen since she was recorded on surveillance cameras in a grocery store in Woodland Park, Colorado with her baby daughter. Her fiance Patrick Frazee tells that she dropped the baby off after that grocery store trip and he has not seen or heard from her since. Now the two have never lived together despite being engaged in sharing a daughter. Interesting the fiance was not present at a press conference and has been scrutinized on social media for refusing to speak openly about missing Chelsea. But despite that scrutiny, her mother says they had a very good relationship.

Straight out to Ellen Kalora in CrimeOnline.com, investigative reporter. Ellen, why don't you tell me about the fiancé, because that is where every timeline starts. The last time someone was seen or spoken to verbally, not by text or email. Tell me about the fiancé. That's right. He was the last person to see her, and we know that he was not the person who contacted police. His lawyer, and he's been with her daughter. His lawyer has released a statement and says that he is now cooperating

with police. He did give a DNA swab of his mouth. He did hand over his phone, but he did not attend a press conference earlier this week where her mother did attend and spoke and begged for her daughter's return. His lawyer claims that Patrick didn't know about the press conference until an hour before it began. Otherwise, he would have been there. And he hasn't said a word to the media. That's what the lawyer said. Kelsey Barrett, 29, has not been spotted since she went grocery shopping

with her baby, Woodland Park, Colorado. Fiancee tells cops she dropped the baby off afterwards at his home, has not been seen since. Her phone pinged about 700 miles away from where she was last seen three days later. Now, does that make sense to you, Karen Smith, forensics expert, 700 miles in three days? Does that make sense? It can be done. Well, sure, it can be done, but none of it makes sense to me, Nancy. First of all, if my fiance had gone missing, I would be freaking out after three hours. First of all, 10 days, 10 days. She was reported missing 10 days later and the cell phone ping 700 miles away. Are you kidding me? I would be all over the press. I would be in front of every camera that would put my face

on television. I would be talking to everyone and anyone if i had nothing to do with this ten days is a long time to pass ashley wilcott i'm looking at the video right now she comes in the front of the grocery store she's carrying the baby in a car seat oh it looks just like the ones i would carry the twins in double-fisted she puts the car seat in the front of a cart with the baby facing her, you know, that top area. And then she drives off. She's got on a coat. Her hair's back in a bun. The baby's all bundled up.

All right. So what do we know about him originally not giving DNA? Because at this juncture, Ashley Wilcott, he has done interviews. He has released his phone to be searched. He's given buckle swabs, which is, you know, a mouth swab and photographs. On the other hand, Ashley, I guess his lawyer said, look, if you don't give it to them willingly, they can get a warrant from you and take it from you. Right. That's what the lawyer is going to advise them. But let me ask you this. Why get a lawyer in the first place if you're not involved? And second, 10 days. I agree with your

guest. 10 days. Who waits 10 days to figure out where somebody is, especially the mother of your one-year-old? You know, he also, the lawyer says that, what does this mean to you, Dr. Daniel Bober? You're the forensic psychiatrist. The lawyer has added that the fiance, Frazee, will not speak publicly because he does not want to, quote, impede the police investigation. Yeah, I mean, Nancy, a lot of this stuff is not dispositive, but it's certainly very suspicious. I mean, he's sort of reluctantly cooperating and sort of has to be dragged to do it. So that's definitely concerning. And it seems like he definitely has something to hide, although, again, it's not dispositive. Well, I agree with you because let me go to you, Ashley Wilcott, when the chief of police at Woodland Park, Chief Miles DeYoung, was asked

at the press conference about the fiance not being there, he simply said you'd have to ask him. Okay, now see, I can read a lot into that response, Ashley. Absolutely. He's not cooperating, and it sounds like law enforcement's frustrated because where most people who have a missing person in their life do anything and everything they can and give law enforcement every shred of everything they need. The boyfriend is not doing that. The fiance is not cooperating. So I think it does indicate something's amiss. Now, the brother, Clint Bereth, said that he realized she was missing and he goes to her home. And what the brother, Clint Bereth, says is the only thing missing from the home was her pocketbook. Her luggage, her makeup, all untouched, and her two vehicles are still at the home.

Ellen Killorn, you left that little detail out. Both her cars are at the house. Her luggage, her makeup, all that. The only thing missing is her pocketbook, which I'd like to point out she had with her when she was at the grocery store. That's right. And not only was all of that stuff left behind, but there was also some cinnamon rolls that she had clearly just baked that day that by the time they got there

they were cold but she was baking in her kitchen and it looks like she just pulled out the the rolls to cool and had every intention of coming back there are absolutely no signs in the home that she was planning on going away for any amount of time take a listen to our friends at Inside Edition reporting on Kelsey Burress' disappearance. Guys, the tip line, 716-687-9262. 716-687-9262. Another number, 719-647-5999. 719-647-5999. This little baby deserves to be with mommy on Christmas morning. Listen.

We talked just Thanksgiving morning. A mother of missing Kelsey Barrett shares more of what happened on the last day she saw her daughter. This is video of what police believe is one of the last times she was seen. Here she is walking into a Safeway grocery store near her town in Colorado with her one-year-old daughter. Cheryl Barrett speaks with CBS News. Did she sound normal? Definitely. She sounded happy. A few days after her disappearance, detectives say a text message was sent from her phone to her employer, saying she would not be showing up to work the following week.

Another text was sent to her fiancé. Cell phone tower data indicates the phone was hundreds of miles away, outside Gooding, Idaho. But investigators have not found Bereth there. It just makes no sense, I guess. It just makes no sense that we can't find her. We have to keep looking. Take a listen to what ABC reporter Marcy Gonzalez says. no sense. I guess it just we can't find her. We hav

listen to what abc report Barrett was seen here at on Thanksgiving Day. Poli with a 29 year old pilot to pick up their one year the last confirmed sighti never reported her missing is still in his custody. I have no information at this time that I need to take that child away at this point.

Investigators say three days after Barrett vanished, two text messages were sent from her phone, one to Frazee and another to her employers, telling them she was taking time off from work. At this point, we are considering every possibility, and I'm not willing to jump to conclusions or label people involved in this highly complex investigation. Hi, Nancy Grace here. Have you ever Googled yourself, your neighbors, somebody at work, a crush? 57% of Americans admit to keeping an eye on their own online reputation. 46% admit to using the internet to look up somebody from their past. But Google and Facebook, the tip of the iceberg when it comes to finding personal information. There's an innovative new website called Truthfinder. It's now revealing the full scoop on millions of Americans.

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Truthfinder.com forward slash Nancy. Find the truth. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. 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. There have been numerous questions about whether Patrick is a suspect or a person of interest. At this point, we are considering every possibility, and I'm not willing to jump to conclusions or label people involved in this highly complex investigation. Do I think Kelsey's still alive? That's absolutely a possibility, and that is our hope. What was the probable cause to search the home? So in order for us to get a search warrant, we have to have enough information for a judge to sign off on it.

We did have enough information. A judge did sign off on that search warrant and that's all I can comment on that sealed search. The more we examine it, the more murky the water becomes. Will the answer be discerned because of text messages and cell phone pings? I want you to listen to what our friend at KOAA, Sam Kramer's discovered. Listen. While investigators returned for a follow-up search of Patrick Frazee's property Tuesday, an expert says the top evidence is somewhere else. The key I think will be in this case is cell phone analytics. We know Kelsey Barrett's phone sent two text messages November 25th, three days after she was last seen. Mark Poff, a former El Paso County Sheriff's detective and current forensic expert

says paying attention to how the messages were written compared to old texts could signal suspicious activity. You can compare that and you can kind of determine does that look like her style. So then you can kind of get the information of, you know, did she truly send that text message or did someone else use her phone to send that text message? Then there's the reported ping. We don't know how many towers are between Woodland Park or Gooding, Idaho or their exact locations, but we do know the phone hit off a tower nearly 800 miles away from her home without reaching any of the other towers via call, text, or data along the way. If somebody makes a trip, you can track them very easily. They're hitting towers on the way up. Plus, Poff says there's two types of pings. He thinks police received the lesser of

the two, giving them a radius between two miles and 45 miles wide, but not an exact location. If it was a ping, it means that the phone specifically told the tower, I'm here, and here's my location using GPS coordinates. As police say, they continue to make progress on several investigative leads. You're hearing that like me, Holly Hughes, former prosecutor, now defense attorney in the Atlanta jurisdiction. You've tried a lot of cases. You and I have both dealt with cell phone data and scientific evidence.

I mean, day in, day out. Analyze what you've just heard well they're absolutely right they're gonna look at not only the fact that there was a ping but linguistically is this her language is this the way she speaks are certain words spelled the same way or does she use shortcuts you know we all know about lol and you know BTW there may be a shorthand that she herself has developed and when they pull those records, they're not just looking at what happened in the time she went missing until now.

They're going backwards, Nancy, and they're going to take a look at the language she uses, and there are experts, you know, linguistic experts, who will say this does not sound like her. She didn't use this particular type of syntax. Some people don't use punctuation when they text. So all of those little tiny details are what is going to trip up someone if they are faking that they are Kelsey when sending these messages. And people

don't understand how absolutely solid this type of evidence can be. You know, they think, well, I wasn't seen. Well, murder is not a spectator sport. We usually don't see a murder being committed, but it's all those little things that they did not think of afterwards that are going to trip them up. And when you package all that together, it's what you and I call, and the law calls, totality of the circumstances. So you've got all the suspicious behavior. You've got, he's the last person to see her. You start adding in this cell phone evidence and something just doesn't pass the suspicious behavior. You've got, he's the last person to see her. You start adding in this cell phone evidence and something just doesn't pass the smell test. You know, another issue, she does have family in Idaho, but nowhere near those cell phone pings was her, let me just

say kidnapper. I mean, for all I know, she's sitting on a pool float in Tahiti right now. I don't know that. I don't think that's what's happened at all. But did someone make it look like she was headed to family in Idaho? Again, this was nowhere near her relatives in Idaho. But is that what someone is trying to suggest? Also, both of her vehicles are parked right there at her home. Why would she take a different vehicle when she's got two sitting in the driveway? Her home completely undisturbed. Her brother went in and found her luggage, found everything neat and in order. Cinnamon rolls were cooling on the kitchen counter. Everything was fine, only missing her purse and cell phone. Now, back to the pings. To Dr. Brian Russell, psychologist, lawyer, host of Investigation Discovery's hit series, Fatal Vows. Dr. Brian, with Crime Online and with Jackie and with Alan, we talk throughout the day, every day, starting in the early morning hours.

Going through crime news, missing people, missing children, to determine what we are going to focus on that day okay it's for that moment what is important right now what is the most important because it's all important very often you know i write in abbreviated style and i remember at cnn stop laughing jackie um i remember at cnn hlm i would write the whole staff you know here are five stories I've just found investigate I mean at least that's what I meant to say and I remember very often this is routine interns or new staff members would write back what are you saying because the way I wrote it in abbreviation sometimes there'd be one letter for multiple words. Okay. All right. So Holly's right.

You develop your own syntax when you're texting or writing. And if you're doing it on the go, not that I would ever text while driving, but if you do it on the go, you develop a communication that nobody else has. When you communicate with typed text, you lose the stylistic aspects of somebody's handwriting that you can use to authenticate it. So what you have to rely on are the kinds of things that you're talking about.

Characteristic uses of capital versus lowercase letters, characteristic abbreviations, characteristic uses or non-uses of punctuation, characteristic syntax, characteristic grammar or grammar mistakes. Stop right there, Dr. Bryan. When we're saying syntax, can you explain what we're talking about? So if I'm going to tell you, I can't wait to see you at your house for Christmas Eve dinner, I could tell it to you like that, or I can say, can't wait to see you for Christmas Eve dinner at your house. It's just a slightly different way of saying the same thing. And when you look at how I tend to say stuff to people, you can find patterns that somebody who's trying to send you a text as me that isn't me might not follow. Hold on, Dr. Brian Russell.

Dr. Brian, I would totally write C, the letter, U, the letter, at sign, U, house, probably the picture of it, the little emoji, capital C, capital E. To me, that would say, see you at your house Christmas Eve. Yeah. And maybe an exclamation point to show all my excitement. So if I'm trying to impersonate you and I write that all out, that would actually be suspicious. Even though it would be a totally normal way to say it, It would be suspicious because that's not what you would typically do. Oh, yeah. Everybody on Crime Online would fall over dead if I wrote out a whole entire sentence grammatically correct with punctuation. That is not ever going to happen, ever, period. And if it

did, they'd call 911 immediately and report my husband, David. Okay. So, yeah, the cops would have a tail on him in about 15 minutes. So, Brian, not only then the particular language of the text, which in itself calling into work and saying I'm going to be gone for a week. No. But the particular language is now taking significance. The search is on for a missing mom, a 29-year-old flight instructor with a little baby, a baby girl. Tip line 719-687-9262, $25,000 reward. She was a farm kid. She drove a swather for her dad. She worked the hay farm. A passion for flying. She'd watch the crop dusters take off and she says I want to do that. Kelsey Barrett's uncle says his niece discovered both growing up in rural Washington state. I think she had a point in her life. She

didn't know if she wanted to be a farmer or pilot. I mean, she wanted both. And she considers her mother, her best friend, Kelsey and her mom typically talk quite often. I mean, they were attached to the hips and she was little, which is why Stanfield believes Kelsey wouldn't have just left. It was really weird for Cheryl not to have heard from Kelsey. And now he's left, like the rest of Kelsey's family, wondering and worrying. We all miss her. We all want her back. You are hearing our friends at Denver News 9 speaking to Kelsey's Uncle Ed Stansfield. And what a woman this Kelsey Barrett sounds like like a loving mom a devoted daughter a devout christian flight instructor i could just see her as a little girl out on a farm out in the farmland looking up at

a crop duster and saying i want to do that she has she has done that i i can't bring myself to speak about her in the past tense like so many people are doing. But to Ellen Kaloran, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, in the last hours, a new development. Is it true law enforcement has been back out at Frazee's place? That's right, Nancy. Yesterday morning, it appears that multiple law enforcement agencies, at least five car vehicles were seen leaving Frazee's 35 acre property. And remember this is after he was seen at that waste management facility. But the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, it was a routine follow up

visit to his property. And again, they have not refilled, if any evidence has been found. All they have said was that they didn't find Kelsey there. You know, I love the way the cops talk, Holly Hughes, because you and I both know what that means. Holly Hughes with me, now Atlanta criminal defense attorney,

former prosecutor, a brief follow-up routine visit. There's not a darn thing routine about digging up your farm with a bobcat, a backhoe, and bringing cadaver dogs out to smell all over your 35 acres. There's not a darn thing routine about that and then a follow-up visit. Am I wrong? You are dead on, Anansi. You hit the nail on the head because usually what the police will do, as you and I know,

is if they want a follow-up interview, they're inviting you to their house because they want you off kilter. They want you uncomfortable. They want you to not be at home surrounded by your own things where you feel like, I'm the king of my castle. I'm in control. I've got this. You also don't send in earth-moving equipment, heavy machinery, and a team of my castle. I'm in control. I've got this. You also don't send in earth moving equipment,

heavy machinery, and a team of police officers. You get one or two detectives. If it's just a routine follow-up who go, they sit down and that's usually done with a witness, not a suspect, not a person of interest. Now they haven't come out and called him that, but anybody with a pair of eyes is looking at that Bobcat and going, that's not routine. So I'm in total agreement with you, Nancy. There's a lot they're not saying, and they'll do that again to protect the integrity of the investigation, but nobody's a fool. When you go out with a Bobcat, you're not having a chat. You are looking for evidence. Holly, you're right, and I want to go to vincent hill cop turn pi author of

playbook to a murderer vincent hill now i keep hearing from the cops i'm going to go to ek to clear this up for me that they'd love to sit down and talk to him as they put it i.e interrogate the yin yang out of him but his lawyer insists he has cooperated listen vincent hill kelsey's fiance patrick frazee told police he last last saw her Thanksgiving afternoon when he picked up their daughter. Kelsey was not reported missing until 10 days later by her mother. Patrick has done everything that he has been asked for by law enforcement. Jeremy Lowe, Patrick Frazee's attorney, says his client has been interviewed by law enforcement, voluntarily released his phone to be searched by investigators, and provided photographs along with cheek swabs for DNA. Police have said Frazee is cooperating.

I have no reason to believe that he is a suspect and the police have not isolated him as a suspect in this case. Okay, you were hearing from our friends at NBC Today, Joe Fryer, reporting that the fiance's lawyer says that he is cooperating with police. But, E.K., before I go to Vincent, isn't it true that the cops keep saying we'd love to talk to him? There seems to be a disconnect between what his lawyer is saying and what police are saying. As of Friday, when police first executed the search warrant on his property, the sheriff said that they have been wanting to interview him in person, one-on-one, just him. And so far, he has only communicated through his lawyer.

Unless something has changed since Friday, that was the last that we heard, and he has not spoken to police on his own. To Vincent Hill, former cop turned PI, you know, you were an inner city Nashville cop, now turned private investigator. Tell me what that means. Interpret cop language for me. Because at a press conference, somebody asked, well, why did it take the fiance 10 days to report her missing? And the Woodland Woodland police chief, Miles DeYoung, says you'd have to ask him translation. He hadn't told us. Yeah, Nancy, so when I hear routine, I laugh at it. So here's the thing. He was initially interviewed because

that's typically what you do during a missing person. Hey, what was she wearing? When's the last time you saw her? But now they want to turn this interview more into an interrogation to answer those questions. Hey, what happened? Where were you at? How come you didn't report her missing? So those are the questions police want to ask now. But now, since he's hiding behind his lawyer again, he hasn't been named a suspect, but it's very suspicious, Nancy. Take a listen to Inside Edition, speaking to Sonia Oliver, neighbor of Pierce's fiance. As police step up the search for a missing mom, a friend is coming to the defense of the fiance at the center of the mystery.

Police say Patrick Frazee is the last person to have seen 29-year-old Kelsey Barreth alive. I always considered him to be a gentle soul, soft-spoken, and just really down-to-earth and practical. Sonia 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 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. Police say Frazee has so far refused to talk to them. I'm just hoping that everything pans out to be okay. You know, I've been thinking about this a lot. Holly Hughes, if my husband went missing, I don't know that I would lawyer up. What do you make of it? You know, when people go missing, if you love them and you're not involved in any nefarious activity, you are in a panic, Nancy. You are in, I want everybody in the world to know this.

I want to publicize it. I want to get help from the police. I'm going to report it right away. Ten days, the mother of your baby girl is missing, and you don't think to reach out for help? And another thing, when we, you know, let's go back to those texts for two seconds. She says, I'm not coming to work. Not once does this loving, caring, devoted mother reach out and say, how's my baby? How's she doing? Ellen Killorn, we just heard a neighbor describe him basically as a gentle giant, but you've reported otherwise.

One woman interviewed by Daily Mail at a vigil for missing Kelsey Barrett had worked with Frazee years ago. He's a cattle farmer. He works in horse grooming. He does rodeoing, all sorts of things with animals and farming. She said that she stopped letting him work with her horses because he was violent with them and because he kicked one of them in the stomach because it was disobedient. And multiple other people said that they had seen him act somewhat aggressively with animals, even though they had different interpretations of how violent it was. Another thing is the email reached out to his Patrick's ex-girlfriend. She wouldn't talk, but her current partner did talk, and he said that he cheated on her while she was in the hospital.

All of those reports regarding punching a horse and cheating on the ex-girlfriend are not confirmed by CrimeOnline.com. Right now, cops on the hunt for Kelsey Barrett as her little girl hopes mommy comes home for Christmas. There's a $25,000 reward. Tip line 719-687-9262. Nancy Grace, Crime Stories, signing off. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.