A Colorado man accused of murdering his fiancee appeared in court on Thursday, where a judge ordered that the couple’s baby daughter be temporarily placed in the custody of the missing woman’s parents.
Patrick Frazee, who was arrested last week on suspicion of killing his fiancee, attended the hearing in Teller County, Colorado before being returned to jail.
Kelsey Berreth, a 29-year-old pilot, was last seen entering a Safeway near her home in Woodland Park, Colorado, on Nov. 22, according to surveillance footage from the store, but Frazee said he saw her later that day.
Berreth’s mother reported her missing on Dec. 2, police said. Police say they believe she is dead, but her body has not been recovered. Authorities said they found possible evidence in connection to the case on Dec. 22, but declined to offer specific details.
The custody hearing was scheduled before Berreth went missing, but her parents were added to the case as special respondents earlier this month.
Frazee, 31, refused to answer reporters’ questions as sheriffs escorted him back to jail after the hearing.
Frazee’s mother filed a motion to intervene in the case, court records show, but it’s unclear if she filed a request for custody. Fourteen-month-old Kaylee had been staying with Frazee until he was arrested last Friday on a charges of first-degree murder.
He is also facing a charge of solicitation to commit murder, suggesting that police believe he did not act alone. Frazee is scheduled to appear in court in connection with the murder charge on Monday.
The next hearing in the custody case is Jan. 3.
Police in Twin Falls, Idaho have been working with Colorado authorities in the investigation, since Berreth’s cellphone pinged near Golding, Idaho, on Nov. 25, a few days after her disappearance.
On the same day that Berreth’s cellphone pinged in Idaho, her employer, Doss Aviation, in Pueblo, Colorado, received a text message presumably from Berreth stating that she would not be able to work the following week, police said.
ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.
