EL PASO COUNTY – News5 confirmed that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation reached out to Waste Management about a potential search at the Midway Landfill in connection to the Kelsey Berreth investigation.
The company told NBC News that it is cooperating with the investigation and also told News5 that the search has not happened yet. A spokesperson told News 5 on Monday that the search is connected to the Kelsey Berreth case, though the CBI and the 4th Judicial District decline to comment on the connection.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is one of four agencies handling the investigation into the disappearance of Kelsey Berreth.
News 5 spoke with John San Agustin, a former investigator in the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, who offered context on the investigation and searching a landfill.
He searched the exact same property during his career, calling the task ahead for investigators daunting.
“A couple weeks worth of trash was about 20 feet tall and about, you know, maybe 50 by 50 yards. It’s just something that is so large,” San Agustin said.
He said his first directive would be to consult with Waste Management to narrow their search, hoping the company keeps records on where trash from certain days is put into the landfill. Then, San Agustin said he would hope to confirm or deny a connection between the Midway Landfill and the transfer station in Divide, where Frazee was spotted just days before his arrest.
When asked about the timing of this possible search in the scope of a weeks-long investigation, San Agustin said investigators are either following up for something, or they’ve received new information. As for what they could be looking for, San Agustin said it could be a number of things — remains, technology and/or other items perhaps used in the alleged crime.
Again, the prosecution and law enforcement agencies involved decline to comment on the specifics of the case.
Berreth, who is presumed dead, was last seen on Nov. 22 in Woodland Park. Berreth’s body has not been found.
Her fiancé, Patrick Frazee, was charged with first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder in connection to her disappearance.
Authorities searched the Frazee property on Dec. 14 and wrapped up the search two days later. Investigators then began searching Berreth’s townhome, where they believe the crime occurred.
On Dec. 21, authorities arrested Frazee and Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said he no longer believed that Berreth was alive.
Frazee’s is expected to enter a plea on Feb. 19.
